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Synonyms

overhang

American  
[oh-ver-hang, oh-ver-hang] / ˌoʊ vərˈhæŋ, ˈoʊ vərˌhæŋ /

verb (used with object)

overhung, overhanging
  1. to hang or be suspended over.

    A great chandelier overhung the ballroom.

  2. to extend, project, or jut over.

    A wide balcony overhangs the garden.

  3. to impend over or threaten, as danger or evil; loom over.

    The threat of war overhung Europe.

  4. to spread throughout; permeate; pervade.

    the melancholy that overhung the proceedings.

  5. Informal. to hover over, as a threat or menace.

    Unemployment continues to overhang the economic recovery.


verb (used without object)

overhung, overhanging
  1. to hang over; project or jut out over something below.

    How far does the balcony overhang?

noun

  1. something that extends or juts out over; projection.

  2. the extent of projection, as of the bow of a ship.

  3. Informal. an excess or surplus.

    an overhang of office space in midtown.

  4. a threat or menace.

    to face the overhang of foreign reprisals.

  5. Architecture. a projecting upper part of a building, as a roof or balcony.

overhang British  

verb

  1. to project or extend beyond (a surface, building, etc)

  2. (tr) to hang or be suspended over

  3. (tr) to menace, threaten, or dominate

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a formation, object, part of a structure, etc, that extends beyond or hangs over something, such as an outcrop of rock overhanging a mountain face

  2. the amount or extent of projection

  3. aeronautics

    1. half the difference in span of the main supporting surfaces of a biplane or other multiplane

    2. the distance from the outer supporting strut of a wing to the wing tip

  4. finance the shares, collectively, that the underwriters have to buy when a new issue has not been fully taken up by the market

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of overhang

First recorded in 1590–1600; over- + hang

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“In our view, if it weren’t for the overhang of an impending equity raise, the shares would be up on this,” they say.

From The Wall Street Journal

A dog has been rescued after falling through an overhanging ledge of snow and spending a wintry night out on a mountain in the Highlands.

From BBC

“Labor relations will be an ongoing overhang for the shares, in our view, with the possibility of further strikes by multiple unions unless agreements are reached,” the analysts say.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Investor concerns about the sustainability of capex growth could be an overhang, and we note that spending is now increasingly being funded by external debt or equity financing,” UBS said.

From Barron's

“Investor concerns about the sustainability of capex growth could be an overhang, and we note that spending is now increasingly being funded by external debt or equity financing,” UBS said.

From Barron's