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.
Continuous capital inflow and growing loan demand could also boost 2027 net interest margins for DBS Group, United Overseas Bank and Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp. and lift their net interest income.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
He shared an Overseas Press Club award for coverage of the eurozone’s debt crisis and a New York Press Club award for coverage of the Nov. 13, 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
The individual’s health is being monitored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as British health officials as the islands are a British Overseas Territory.
From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2026
The Dutch government said a Swiss national who has since been diagnosed with hantavirus was also one of those who left the cruise at the British Overseas Territory.
From BBC • May 7, 2026
Chacko said that it gave the products a Regional Flavor and would stand them in good stead when they entered the Overseas Market.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
