overseas
Americanadverb
adjective
-
of or relating to passage over the sea.
overseas travel.
-
situated beyond the sea.
overseas territories.
-
pertaining to countries, associations, activities, etc., beyond the sea.
overseas military service; overseas commitments.
noun
adverb
adjective
-
of, to, in, from, or situated in countries beyond the sea
-
Also: oversea. of or relating to passage over the sea
noun
Etymology
Origin of overseas
before 1150; oversea ( Middle English overse, Old English ofer sǣ; see over-, sea) + -s 3 or -s 1
Explanation
There's no trick to the meaning of overseas. If someone goes overseas, they've gone "over" the "seas" — to a foreign country. When overseas came into use, there were no airplanes, so technically speaking, one traveled "across" or "on" the seas, in a ship. Nevertheless, one was thought to have made it "over the sea," hence overseas. When traveling overseas, make sure your phone works on the network in the country where you're headed. Also, the laws and customs overseas can be very different from the ones we have here, so be careful. What here at home you consider small potatoes legally might be a big deal overseas.
Vocabulary lists containing overseas
Chapter 21: Age of Exploration and Trade
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for October 2–October 8, 2021
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Chapter 27: America and World War II
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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.
“The methods expanded accordingly, from conventional espionage and technology purchases to cyber operations, academic collaborations, talent recruitment, overseas investments, and systematic exploitation of publicly available research,” Hannas said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 12, 2026
The change came amid intense scrutiny from the U.S. government over whether restricted artificial-intelligence chips were being routed to China through overseas intermediaries.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 12, 2026
Tech outlet The Information said in December that DeepSeek developed its new model using thousands of chips dismantled overseas and brought into China.
From Barron's ● Nov. 10, 2026
Later she worked as a teacher and followed her husband on his many postings as an officer of the gendarmerie in French overseas territories.
From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2026
“I am here so you can rest a little, you poor boy. That woman will start overworking you again once she returns from overseas, as if you are not somebody’s child.”
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
