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Synonyms

voice-over

American  
[vois-oh-ver] / ˈvɔɪsˌoʊ vər /

noun

Movies, Television.
  • voice-overs
    plural
  1. the voice of an offscreen narrator, announcer, or the like.

  2. a televised sequence, as in a commercial, using such a voice.

  3. any offscreen voice, as that of a character in a narrative.


voice-over British  

noun

  1. the voice of an unseen commentator heard during a film, television programme, etc

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of voice-over

First recorded in 1945–50


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.

See Examples For:

He also carved out a career as a voice-over artist.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

“Now the Waymo driver is safer than a human one,” a voice-over says, “…Not because humans aren’t enough, but because they’re everything.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026

In the early years of television, voice-over introductions to shows and their casts were a necessity of the medium.

From Salon ● Apr. 25, 2026

The heightened nature of Gaylord’s and Nikolić’s performances, off-putting in the voice-over scene, are a blast when the worlds of the play finally merge.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2026

As the documentary film moved forward, the voice-over of our dear family friend and loving “uncle” actor Ossie Davis delivered the eulogy from my father’s funeral in 1965.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey

Bagel Brands has used AI to create voice-overs for ads and poll customers who volunteered to try a new product.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 23, 2025

Her commercial work included playing Becky in “Fansville” ads for Dr Pepper and her voice-overs could be heard in spots for the Hyundai Ioniq, Budweiser, Credit Karma and more.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2025

Throughout the coronavirus pandemic her spoof voice-overs of the then first minister went viral on social media.

From BBC ● Nov. 29, 2024

Some of the videos used artificially generated avatars or voice-overs, making the campaign the first influence operation known to the institute to pair A.I. voices with video essays.

From New York Times ● Dec. 14, 2023

Mimicking the deep-voiced passion of commercial voice-overs, she said, “It’s small, it’s slow, and it’s shitty, but it runs. Sometimes. Blue Citrus: See Your Local Used-Car Dealer.”

From "Looking for Alaska" by John Green

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