over

alternative o'er · alternative Geordie ower · alternative ouer · alternative ovuh

1. not comparableFinished; ended; concluded.

   The show isn't over until the fat lady sings.

   1 more example

   The strawberries are over now. I picked the last few yesterday.

   1. not comparablebiologyOf a flower: wilting or withering.
2. informalnot comparableHopeless; irrecoverable.

   We're keeping our marriage going for the sake of the kids, but really it's over.

3. informalnot comparableVisiting one's home or other location.

   My sister's over for the week.

4. not comparableHaving surmounted an obstacle.

   The horse struggled at that fence, but it's over.

5. informalnot comparableHaving an excess in a particular respect.

   This steak is well over. (overcooked)

   1 more example

   We had some complaints about short weight, so now we make sure that all our bags of potatoes are a bit over. (overweight)

6. not comparableSurplus to requirements.

   I made 20 cakes, but I only need 18, so there are two over.

7. not comparableslanggovernmentOf a wrestler: generating a reaction from fans.

alternative o'er · alternative Geordie ower · alternative ouer · alternative ovuh

1. Describing a physical change of position or state.
   1. not comparableFrom one position or location to another, horizontally or approximately so, or along a route visualised as "across".

      He's driven over from Bristol.

      5 more examples

      That vase isn't exactly central. Could you move it over a couple of inches?

      I slid over to make room for him to sit down.

      Please pass the chocolates over to me.

      "Come over to my house and play!" — "Sure, I'll bring over a pizza."

      In the future, when space travel is affordable to everyone, we'll be able to pop over to the Moon for a weekend.

   2. not comparableAcross from one side of something to the other.

      I need to cross the river. Can you take me over in your boat?

   3. not comparableSo as to pass above.

      I looked up just as a helicopter flew over.

   4. not comparableUp one side of something, across, and then down the other side.

      The boiling milk bubbled over onto the cooker top.

      1 more example

      The fence is too high. I don't think I'll be able to get over.

   5. not comparableAcross something, such as an edge, and then downwards.

      The car rolled to the edge of the cliff and went straight over.

   6. not comparableFrom an upright position to a horizontal one.

      That building just fell over!

      1 more example

      He tipped the bottle over, and the water came gushing out.

   7. not comparableSo as to fold towards or onto itself.

      The leaves have curled over.

      2 more examples

      Bend the end of that wire over to make a hook.

      He bent over to touch his toes.

   8. not comparableOn top of something, or so as to cover something.

      It's starting to cloud over.

      2 more examples

      Paint it over with a darker colour.

      Heat the milk and pour it over.

   9. not comparableSo as to reverse up/down orientation, or otherwise change orientation by rotating.

      I can't sleep on my back. I have to roll over onto my side.

      1 more example

      Put the card face down, and don't turn it over until I say so.

   10. not comparableSo as to reverse or exchange position(s).

       Swap those cables over. The red one should be in the left socket.

2. not comparableExpressing figurative movement from one position or state across to another.

   I switched over to Channel 9.

   3 more examples

   He came over to our way of thinking on the new project.

   I signed the property over to him.

   This advertisement doesn't clearly get the idea over.

3. not comparableIndicating a direction or location away from the speaker, usually roughly horizontally or visualised as such.

   Look over there!

   1 more example

   I'll see you over at the club.

4. not comparableThoroughly; completely; from beginning to end.

   Let me think that over.

   3 more examples

   Let's talk over the project at tomorrow's meeting.

   I'm going to look over our department's expenses.

   During the whole time of his abode in the university he generally spent thirteen hours of the day in study; by which assiduity besides an exact dispatch of the whole course of philosophy, he read over in a manner all classic authors that are extant[…]

   1661, John Fell, The Life of the most learned, reverend and pious Dr. H. Hammond

5. in compoundsnot comparableoftenTo a high or excessive degree; overly; see also over-.

   I'm not over bothered about going to the party.

   2 more examples

   If you're over tentative then you'll get nowhere.

   She seemed a placid creature altogether - eminently respectable - perhaps not over intelligent.

   1934, Agatha Christie, chapter 12, in Murder on the Orient Express, London: HarperCollins, published 2017, page 158

6. not comparableBeyond or in excess of what is correct or expected.

   The show ran ten minutes over.

   1 more example

   We tried to stick to budget, but in the end we went twenty dollars over.

7. not comparableTo a future time.

   Carry the shortfall over and we'll make it up tomorrow.

8. not comparableOvernight (throughout the night).

   Can I sleep over?

   1 more example

   We missed the last bus home so we stayed over.

9. Indicating repetition.
   1. USnot comparableusuallyAgain; another time; once more; over again.

      I lost my paper and I had to do the entire assignment over.

   2. not comparableUsed for rhetorical effect to reinforce that something was done the stated number of times.

      I've already done it twice over!

      1 more example

      I said the magic word three times over, and the secret door slid open.

10. not comparableSee also individual entries for phrasal verbs: go over, hand over, run over, take over, win over, etc.

plural overs · alternative o'er · alternative Geordie ower · alternative ouer · alternative ovuh

1. ball gamesA set of six legal balls bowled.

   Jones hit four boundaries in the first over.

   1 more example

   In an emotional and electric atmosphere at Lord's, both sides scored 241 in their 50 overs and were level on 15 when they batted for an extra over apiece.

   2019 July 14, Stephan Shemilt, “England win Cricket World Cup: Ben Stokes stars in dramatic finale against New Zealand”, in BBC Sport, London

2. Any surplus amount of money, goods delivered, etc.

   […] standard cash count forms used to record the count and any overs or unders.

   2008, G. Puttick, Sandy van Esch, The Principles and Practice of Auditing, page 609

3. informalSomething having an excess of a particular property.

   I went fishing but caught mostly overs.

   1 more example

   In today's golf tournament we recorded three unders and twenty overs.

4. gamblingA bet that a particular sporting statistic, such as points scored in a game, will be above a certain stated value.

alternative o'er · alternative Geordie ower · alternative ouer · alternative ovuh

1. Expressing spatial relationship or movement.
   1. Above; higher than; further up than.

      Hold the sign up over your head.

      3 more examples

      The mountain towered over the village.

      Over them gleamed far off the crimson banners of morning.

      1858 October 16, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “The Courtship of Miles Standish”, in The Courtship of Miles Standish, and Other Poems, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor and Fields, →OCLC

      The ability of a segment of a glass sphere to magnify whatever is placed before it was known around the year 1000, when the spherical segment was called a reading stone,[…]. Scribes, illuminators, and scholars held such stones directly over manuscript pages as an aid in seeing what was being written, drawn, or read.

      2013 September-October, Henry Petroski, “The Evolution of Eyeglasses”, in American Scientist

   2. Across, from one side to the other.

      The guide took us over the border.

   3. Across, so as to pass above.

      I looked out over the sea.

      2 more examples

      The vulture flew over the desert.

      If I saw the wild geese fly over the dark lakes of Kerry...

      1918, Dora Sigerson Shorter, Sick I Am and Sorrowful

   4. Through or around all the parts of.

      The estate agent showed me over the property.

      2 more examples

      We went over the cathedral and then had lunch in the cafe.

      (figuratively) We went over the figures together.

   5. On the other side of.

      He lives over the road from me.

      1 more example

      The next town is over that hill.

   6. informalAt or near (a location seen as 'across' from the speaker's location).

      There was a big fire over the other side of town.

      1 more example

      My hopes wa'n't disappointed. I never saw clams thicker than they was along them inshore flats. I filled my dreener in no time, and then it come to me that 'twouldn't be a bad idee to get a lot more, take 'em with me to Wellmouth, and peddle 'em out. Clams was fairly scarce over that side of the bay and ought to fetch a fair price.

      1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter III, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC

   7. From one physical position to another via an obstacle that must be traversed vertically, first upwards and then downwards.

      The dog jumped over the fence.

      2 more examples

      Let's walk over the hill to get there.

      The lava bubbled up and over the rim of the crater.

   8. Across (something) and then downwards.

      I tripped over a tree root.

      1 more example

      The car drove straight over the edge of the cliff.

   9. On top of; in such a way as to cover.

      There is a roof over the house.

      2 more examples

      Drape the fabric over the table.

      (figuratively) A strange feeling came over me.

2. Expressing comparison.
   1. More than (a given value, amount, limit etc.); beyond; past; exceeding.

      He is over a hundred years old.

      2 more examples

      It's over a hundred degrees outside.

      I think I’m over my limit for calories for today.

   2. To a greater degree than.

      I prefer the purple over the pink.

      1 more example

      Only for a brief two centuries in the Middle Ages did a Baltic community coalesce, under the Hanseatic League of prosperous cities that valued trade over plunder.

      1989 May, Priit J. Vesilind, “The Baltic: Arena of Power”, in National Geographic, volume 175, number 5, page 605

   3. As compared to.

      Sales are down this quarter over last.

3. During or throughout (a time period).

   He's got grumpier over the years.

   2 more examples

   I'll have to work over the weekend.

   Mostly, the microbiome is beneficial. It helps with digestion and enables people to extract a lot more calories from their food than would otherwise be possible. Research over the past few years, however, has implicated it in diseases from atherosclerosis to asthma to autism.

   2013 June 29, “A punch in the gut”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, pages 72–3

4. Through or via (a particular transmission medium).

   The message came over FM radio.

   2 more examples

   A stern voice boomed over the loudspeaker.

   This letter contained specific details of the case confirming a sequence of events from the Penny Pinchers store. It aligned with what Jo-Anne had heard over the phone and what passing motorists saw in the rain.

   2026 July 25, Nicholas Muhoro, “The Last Call of Jo-Anne Pedersen, the Girl Who Vanished From a Payphone”, in Skip Boring, archived from the original on 26 Jul 2026

5. Indicating relative status, authority, or power.

   The prince ruled over a portion of the kingdom.

   1 more example

   The owner's son lorded it over the experienced managers.

6. In a position of having overcome (a problem or issue); past; finished with; from one state to another via a hindrance that must be solved or defeated; or via a third state that represents a significant difference from the first two.

   I am over my cold and feel great again.

   4 more examples

   We got over the engineering problems and the prototype works great.

   I know the referee made a bad call, but you have to get over it [your annoyance with the referee's decision].

   She is finally over [the distress of] losing her job.

   He is finally over his [distress over the loss of the relationship with his] ex-girlfriend.

7. While doing an activity involving (something), especially while consuming.

   We had a chat over dinner.

   4 more examples

   He fell asleep over the crossword puzle.

   Six diners in business clothes—five attractive young women and a balding middle-aged man—relax over cigarettes.

   1990, Seymour Chatman, Coming to Terms, Cornell, →ISBN, page 100

   Sunday had been my favorite day at Woodlawn. A long W.A.A. [="work as assigned" period], having coffee and croissants with Mark over the Sunday Times.

   1998, Marian Swerdlow, Underground Woman, Temple, →ISBN, page 88

   Over meatloaf and mashed potatoes (being careful not to talk with his mouth full), Stanley told about his adventure.

   2009, Sara Pennypacker, The Great Egyptian Grave Robbery, Scholastic, →ISBN, page 79

8. Concerning or regarding.

   The two boys had a fight over whose girlfriend was the best.

   1 more example

   It has jailed environmental activists and is planning to limit the power of judicial oversight by handing a state-approved body a monopoly over bringing environmental lawsuits.

   2013 August 10, “Can China clean up fast enough?”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8848

9. Above, implying superiority after a contest; in spite of; notwithstanding.

   We triumphed over difficulties.

   3 more examples

   The bill was passed over the veto.

   It was a fine victory over their opponents.

   I can't hear you over the noise of that road drill.

10. Expressing causation: due to, as the result of.

    He was fired over that.

    1 more example

    Microsoft CEO should be fired over cyber failure

    2024 May 24, “https://www.afr.com/technology/microsoft-ceo-should-be-fired-over-cyber-failure-20240523-p5jg4q”, in Financial Review

11. mathematicsDivided by.

    Two over six equals one over three.

    Synonyms: on

12. card gamesSeparates the three of a kind from the pair in a full house.

    9♦9♠9♣6♥6♠ = nines over sixes

13. more common in speechentertainmentSeparates the primary chord of a slash chord from the bass note.

alternative o'er · alternative Geordie ower · alternative ouer · alternative ovuh

1. procedure wordgovernmentA radio procedure word meaning that the station is finished with its transmission and is expecting a response.

   How do you receive? Over!

   2 more examples

   Bravo Six, this is Bravo Six Four. Stand by for ten mike report one dash three, over.

   Bravo Six Four, this is Bravo Six Actual. Send your traffic, over.

2. Instructs the reader to turn the page and continue reading the other side.
3. abbreviationellipsisobsoleteslangEllipsis of over the left shoulder (“expressing disbelief etc.”).

present singular third person overs · participle present overing · participle past overed · past overed · alternative o'er · alternative Geordie ower · alternative ouer · alternative ovuh

1. UKdialectalobsoletetransitiveTo go over, or jump over.

   He overed the fence in good style.

2. UKdialectalintransitiveobsoleteTo run about.

   The cattle have been overing all day because of the flies.

plural overs · alternative o'er · alternative Geordie ower · alternative ouer · alternative ovuh

1. dialectalobsoleterareA shore, riverbank.

   Cassibola was ready at Dover, & renged (encamped) his men by the over.

   1338, Robert Mannyng, Mannyng's Chronicle

1. A village and civil parish in South Cambridgeshire district, Cambridgeshire, England (OS grid ref TL3770).
2. A suburban area in Winsford, Cheshire West and Chester district, Cheshire, England (OS grid ref SJ6366).
3. A hamlet in Almondsbury parish, South Gloucestershire district, Gloucestershire, England (OS grid ref ST5882)
4. A hamlet near Gloucester in Highnam parish, Tewkesbury district, Gloucestershire (OS grid ref SO8119).
5. A village in Seevetal, Lower Saxony, Germany.