overboard
Americanadverb
idioms
adverb
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from on board a vessel into the water
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informal
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to be extremely enthusiastic
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to go to extremes
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to reject or abandon
Etymology
Origin of overboard
before 1000; Middle English over bord, Old English ofer bord. See over, board
Explanation
You can only fall overboard if you're on a boat. If you fall overboard, don't forget your life vest! The adverb overboard most often comes up when someone falls in the water. When it's used literally, it very specifically refers to the movement of a person or an object from a boat into the ocean or other body of water. Figuratively, to go overboard means to take something too far — you're going overboard on your diet if you refuse to eat anything that isn't green.
Vocabulary lists containing overboard
Inside Out & Back Again
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Bud, Not Buddy
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for November 26–December 2, 2022
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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.
In a statement, Carnival confirmed that a passenger had gone overboard.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
A few sailors reportedly tried to jump overboard.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
Central Command said one sailor on the Lincoln fell overboard in early August but was quickly recovered.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026
One sailor who reportedly jumped overboard is only 19 — practically still a kid.
From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026
But in a situation as fluid and dynamic as a crew race, circumstances often change abruptly and race plans must be thrown overboard.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
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.
