voice-over
Americannoun
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the voice of an offscreen narrator, announcer, or the like.
-
a televised sequence, as in a commercial, using such a voice.
-
any offscreen voice, as that of a character in a narrative.
noun
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.
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
Inspired by the popularity of the Japanese “Iron Chef” broadcast with an English voice-over, Food Network created an American adaptation, “Iron Chef America,” which premiered in 2005 and continued until 2018.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026
Thomas, who died in 2016 at 91, had a voice-over career that started at age 13 with radio ads.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 11, 2025
Composed of original footage and the director’s conversational voice-over, “Zodiac Killer Project” is the chalk outline of his missing and presumed dead documentary.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 5, 2025
A voice-over tells the audience what they are viewing as we try to regroup, react to the black gel shooting from the street, lose control of the situation.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
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.
