over

UK: /ˈəʊvə^r/ US: /ˈoʊvɚ/ ,(ō′vər)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

o•ver /ˈoʊvɚ/   prep. 

1. above in place or position:
   the roof over one's head.
2. above and to the other side of:
   The car went over the guard rail.
3. above in authority, rank, power, etc.:
   They have control over the news media.
4. so as to rest on or cover;
   on or upon:
   She pulled the blankets over her head and fell asleep.
5. on top of:
   She hit the intruder over the head with a frying pan.
6. across;
   throughout:
   They hitchhiked all over Europe.
7. from one side to the other of;
   on or to the other side of;
   across:
   lands over the sea; If you go over the bridge you will be in Illinois.
8. in excess of;
   more than:
   Both children read over twenty books last summer.
9. above in degree, quantity, etc.:
   a big improvement over last year's numbers.
10. in preference to:
    He was chosen over another applicant.
11. throughout the length of;
    during;
    until the end of:
    We wrote to each other over a long period of years.
12. in reference to, concerning, or about:
    to quarrel over a matter.
13. while doing or attending to:
    to discuss the situation over lunch.
14. Radio and Television via;
    by means of:
    I heard it over the radio.
15. because of;
    caused by:
    I don't want an argument over this.

adv. 

16. beyond the top or upper part of something:
    The soup boiled over.
17. so as to cover or affect the whole surface:
    The furniture was covered over with dust.
18. through a region, area, etc.:
    He is known the world over.
19. at some distance, such as in a direction indicated:
    They live over by the hill.
20. from one side or place to another or across an intervening space:
    to sail over; Toss the ball over, will you?
21. from beginning to end;
    throughout:
    Think it over carefully.
22. from one person, party, etc., to another:
    He handed the property over to his brother.
23. on the other side, as of a sea, a river, or any space:
    Next time we'll come over to Japan.
24. so as to be moved from a standing or straight position:
    to knock over a glass; to fall over.
25. so as to put or be in the reversed position:
    The dog rolled over.
26. once more;
    again:
    Do the work over.
27. in repetition:
    20 times over.
28. in excess or addition:
    to pay the full sum and something over.
29. divided by:
    48 over 2 is 24.

adj. [be + ~]

30. ended;
    done;
    past;
    finished:
    They became friends when the war was over.

n. [countable]

31. an amount in excess or addition;
    extra.

interj. 

32. Radio and Television (used in radio communications to signal that the sender is waiting for a reply to or an acknowledgment of a message just sent):
    Tower, this is Flight 77 requesting permission to land, over.
    Compare out (def. 37).

Idioms

33. Idioms all over:
    •  throughout;
       everywhere:
      They traveled all over when they visited Australia.
    •  ended;
       finished;
      over with:
      The season was all over when they lost that game.
34. Idioms over and above, [~ + object] in addition to;
    besides:
    These expenses are over and above our initial estimates.
35. Idioms over and over, many times;
    repeatedly:
    We thanked him over and over.
36. Idioms over the hill, [uncountable] past one's prime:
    That quarterback is over the hill and should retire.
37. Idioms over with, finished;
    ended;
    done:
    Their relationship was over with.

Usage

See above.

over-, prefix. 

1. over- is attached to nouns and verbs and means the same as the adverb or adjective over, as in:
   overboard;
   overhang;
   overlord;
   overthrow.
2. over- is also used to mean "over the limit;
   to excess;
   too much;
   too'':
   overact (= to act too much);
   overaggressive (= too aggressive);
   overfull;
   overweight.
3. over- is also used to mean "outer,'' as when referring to an outer covering:
   overskirt (= a skirt worn over something, such as a gown).

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

o•ver  (ō′vər), prep. 

1. above in place or position:
   the roof over one's head.
2. above and to the other side of:
   to leap over a wall.
3. above in authority, rank, power, etc., so as to govern, control, or have jurisdiction regarding:
   There is no one over her in the department now.
4. so as to rest on or cover;
   on or upon:
   Throw a sheet over the bed.
5. on or upon, so as to cause an apparent change in one's mood, attitude, etc.:
   I can't imagine what has come over her.
6. on or on top of:
   to hit someone over the head.
7. here and there on or in;
   about:
   at various places over the country.
8. through all parts of;
   all through:
   to roam over the estate; to show someone over the house.
9. to and fro on or in;
   across;
   throughout:
   to travel all over Europe.
10. from one side to the other of;
    to the other side of;
    across:
    to go over a bridge.
11. on the other side of;
    across:
    lands over the sea.
12. reaching higher than, so as to submerge:
    The water is over his shoulders.
13. in excess of;
    more than:
    over a mile; not over five dollars.
14. above in degree, quantity, etc.:
    a big improvement over last year's turnout.
15. in preference to:
    chosen over another applicant.
16. throughout the length of:
    The message was sent over a great distance.
17. until after the end of:
    to adjourn over the holidays.
18. throughout the duration of:
    over a long period of years.
19. in reference to, concerning, or about:
    to quarrel over a matter.
20. while engaged in or occupied with:
    to fall asleep over one's work.
21. Radio and Television via;
    by means of:
    He told me over the phone. I heard it over the radio.
22. Idioms over and above, in addition to;
    besides:
    a profit over and above what they had anticipated.
23. Idioms over the hill. See hill (def. 8).

adv. 

24. beyond the top or upper surface or edge of something:
    a roof that hangs over.
25. so as to cover the surface, or affect the whole surface:
    The furniture was covered over with dust.
26. through a region, area, etc.:
    He was known the world over.
27. at some distance, as in a direction indicated:
    They live over by the hill.
28. from side to side;
    across;
    to the other side:
    to sail over.
29. across an intervening space:
    Toss the ball over, will you?
30. across or beyond the edge or rim:
    The soup boiled over. The bathtub ran over.
31. from beginning to end;
    throughout:
    to read a paper over; Think it over.
32. from one person, party, etc., to another:
    Hand the money over. He made the property over to his brother.
33. on the other side, as of a sea, a river, or any space:
    over in Japan.
34. so as to displace from an upright position:
    to knock over a glass of milk.
35. so as to put in the reversed position:
    She turned the bottle over. The dog rolled over.
36. once more;
    again:
    Do the work over.
37. in repetition or succession:
    twenty times over.
38. in excess or addition:
    to pay the full sum and something over.
39. in excess of or beyond a certain amount:
    Five goes into seven once, with two over.
40. throughout or beyond a period of time:
    to stay over till Monday.
41. to one's residence, office, or the like:
    Why don't you come over for lunch?
42. so as to reach a place across an intervening space, body of water, etc.:
    Her ancestors came over on the
    Mayflower
43. Idioms all over:
    • over the entire surface of;
      everywhere:
      material printed all over with a floral design.
    • thoroughly;
      entirely.
    • finished:
      The war was all over and the soldiers came home.
44. Idioms all over with, ended;
    finished:
    It seemed miraculous that the feud was all over with.
45. Idioms over again, in repetition;
    once more:
    The director had the choir sing one passage over again.
46. Idioms over against. See against (def. 12).
47. Idioms over and over, several times;
    repeatedly:
    They played the same record over and over.
48. Idioms, Sport over there, [Informal.] (in the U.S. during and after World War I) in or to Europe:
    Many of the boys who went over there never came back.
49. Idioms over with, finished or done:
    Let's get this thing over with, so that we don't have to worry about it any more.

adj. 

50. upper;
    higher up.
51. higher in authority, station, etc.
52. serving, or intended to serve, as an outer covering;
    outer.
53. remaining or additional, surplus;
    extra.
54. too great;
    excessive (usually used in combination):
    Insufficient tact and overaggressiveness are two of his problems.
55. ended;
    done;
    past:
    when the war was over.

n. 

56. an amount in excess or addition;
    extra.
57. Military a shot that strikes or bursts beyond the target.
58. Sport [Cricket.]
    • the number of balls, usually six, delivered between successive changes of bowlers.
    • the part of the game played between such changes.

v.t. 

59. to go or get over;
    leap over.
60. Dialect Terms [Southern U.S.] to recover from.

interj. 

61. Radio and Television (used in radio communications to signify that the sender has temporarily finished transmitting and is awaiting a reply or acknowledgment.) Cf. out (def. 61).

• bef. 900; (adverb, adverbial, preposition) Middle English; Old English ofer; cognate with Dutch over, German ober; (adjective, adjectival) Middle English over(e), origin, originally variant of uver(e) (English dialect, dialectal uver; compare love), Old English ufera (akin to ofer), assimilated to the adverb, adverbial form; akin to Latin super, Greek hypér, Sanskrit upari. See up, hyper-

over-, 

1. a prefixal use of over, prep., adv., oradj., occurring in various senses in compounds (overboard;
   overcoat;
   overhang;
   overlap;
   overlord;
   overrun;
   overthrow), and especially employed, with the sense of "over the limit,'' "to excess,'' "too much,'' "too,'' to form verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and nouns (overact;
   overcapitalize;
   overcrowd;
   overfull;
   overmuch;
   oversupply;
   overweight), and many others, mostly self-explanatory: a hyphen, which is commonly absent from old or well-established formations, is sometimes used in new coinages or in any words whose component parts it may be desirable to set off distinctly.

• Old English ofer-. See over Middle English

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

over / ˈəʊvə/ preposition

1. directly above; on the top of; via the top or upper surface of: over one's head
2. on or to the other side of: over the river
3. during; through, or throughout (a period of time)
4. in or throughout all parts of: to travel over England
5. throughout the whole extent of: over the racecourse
6. above; in preference to: I like that over everything else
7. by the agency of (an instrument of telecommunication): we heard it over the radio
8. more than: over a century ago
9. on the subject of; about: an argument over nothing
10. while occupied in: discussing business over golf
11. having recovered from the effects of: she's not over that last love affair yet
12. over and above ⇒ added to; in addition to

adverb

1. in a state, condition, situation, or position that is or has been placed or put over something: to climb over
2. (particle) so as to cause to fall: knocking over a police officer
3. at or to a point across intervening space, water, etc
4. throughout a whole area: the world over
5. (particle) from beginning to end, usually cursorily
6. throughout a period of time: stay over for this week
7. (esp in signalling and radio) it is now your turn to speak, act, etc
8. more than is expected or usual: not over well
9. over again ⇒ once more
10. over against ⇒ opposite to
11. contrasting with
12. over and over ⇒ (often followed by again) repeatedly

adjective

1. (postpositive) finished; no longer in progress

adverb , adjective

1. remaining; surplus (often in the phrase left over)

noun

1. a series of six balls bowled by a bowler from the same end of the pitch
2. the play during this

Etymology: Old English ofer; related to Old High German ubir, obar, Old Norse yfir, Latin super, Greek huper

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

over- prefix

1. excessive or excessively; beyond an agreed or desirable limit: overcharge, overdue, oversimplify
2. indicating superior rank: overseer
3. indicating location or movement above: overhang
4. indicating movement downwards: overthrow