voice-over
Americannoun
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the voice of an offscreen narrator, announcer, or the like.
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a televised sequence, as in a commercial, using such a voice.
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any offscreen voice, as that of a character in a narrative.
noun
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.
A voice-over described the memorial as a “monument breathing eternal vitality” into Russia-North Korea relations.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 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
Faison: When we did the table read, I laughed so hard when the first voice-over kicked in, when Zach read the voice-over.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 20, 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
And the owners of them, sullen faced, unrepentant, pushed by the Eyes against the walls of their bedrooms, while the sorrowful voice of the announcer tells us voice-over about their perfidy and ungratefulness.
From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood
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.
