above

adverb

\ ə-ˈbəv

Definition of above

(Entry 1 of 4)

1a : in the sky : overhead the clouds above

b : in or to heaven

2a : in or to a higher place

b : higher on the same page or on a preceding page except as stated above

c : upstairs

d : above zero 10 degrees above

3 : in or to a higher rank or number 30 and above

4 archaic : in addition : besides

5 : upstage

above

preposition

Definition of above (Entry 2 of 4)

1a : in or to a higher place than : over a room above the store

b : upriver of anchored about 10 miles above the city

2a : superior to (as in rank, quality, or degree) A sergeant is above a corporal.

b : out of reach of above suspicion

c : in preference to puts his child's needs above his own needs

d : too proud or honorable to stoop to not above taking undue credit

3 : exceeding in number, quantity, or size : more than men above 50 years old

4 : as distinct from and in addition to heard the whistle above the roar of the crowd

above

noun

plural above

Definition of above (Entry 3 of 4)

1a : something that is above Select one of the above.

b : a person whose name is written above Contact any of the above for more information.

2a : a higher authority

b : heaven

above

adjective

Definition of above (Entry 4 of 4)

: written or discussed higher on the same page or on a preceding page Contact me at the above address.

Synonyms & Antonyms Using Above as an Adjective or Noun: Usage Guide More Example Sentences Learn More about above

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Synonyms & Antonyms for above

Synonyms: Adverb

aloft, over, overhead

Synonyms: Preposition

over

Synonyms: Noun

bliss, elysian fields, Elysium, empyrean, heaven, kingdom come, New Jerusalem, paradise, sky, Zion (also Sion)

Antonyms: Adverb

below, beneath, under

Antonyms: Preposition

below, beneath, under

Antonyms: Noun

Gehenna, hell, Pandemonium, perdition

Using Above as an Adjective or Noun: Usage Guide

Noun

Although still objected to by some, the use of above as a noun to mean "something that is above" none of the above the above is Theseus's opinion — William Blake and as an adjective without the above reserve — O. W. Holmes †1935 I was brought up on the above words — Viscount Montgomery has been long established as standard.

Examples of above in a Sentence

Adverb

up above and down below Temperatures range from 5 below to 5 above.

Preposition

He raised his arms above his head. They hung a mirror above the mantel. We rented an apartment above a restaurant. Temperatures were above average all week. men above 50 years old She values her private time above her fame. He puts his child's needs above his own.

Noun

in her dying days she was supposedly visited by an angel from above

Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb

Watch Hannah Bronfman's full New York Food Diaries video above, and for a tour of Miami, check out Caroline Vreeland's Food Diaries featuring her favorite local spots throughout the Magic City below. — Nicole Saunders, Harper's BAZAAR, "Everything Hannah Bronfman Eats in a Day," 24 Jan. 2019 The video above shows a tense conversation between the pair, and the sneak peek photos from CBS suggest something even more serious. — Megan Stein, Country Living, "‘NCIS’ Is Introducing a Controversial Guest Star Who's Trying to Arrest Torres and McGee," 8 Jan. 2019 There are currently only a handful of filters available for pooches, which can be seen in the promotional video above. — Julia Alexander, The Verge, "Snapchat goes full circle, adds lenses for dogs," 26 Dec. 2018 And the cars have gotten faster, too, as the video above shows. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, "This video shows just how much quicker the new Formula E car is," 15 Nov. 2018 In the video above, WSJ’s Jason Bellini explores this world of realistic video fakes. — Hilke Schellmann, WSJ, "Deepfake Videos Are Getting Real and That’s a Problem," 15 Oct. 2018 Try it for yourself—definitely with cider for all of the fall feels—and watch the full episode of D.I.Wine in the video above. — Danielle Tullo, House Beautiful, "If You're Not Throwing a Pumpkin-Painting D.I.Wine Night, You're Missing Out," 5 Oct. 2018 In the video above, Vogue Editor in Chief Anna Wintour discusses her major talking points from Milan, starting with two Italian heritage brands that celebrated big anniversaries: Etro, which turned 50, and Missoni, which toasted 65 years. — Vogue, "Watch: Vogue’s Anna Wintour on the Best Collections at Milan Fashion Week," 25 Sep. 2018 In real life, the apartment is located at 328 W. 89th Street, as seen above. — Taylor Mead, House Beautiful, "You’ve Got Mail," 19 Dec. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Preposition

Hanging directly above the bar is Hirst’s Here for a Good Time, Not a Long Time (2018), which includes one vitrine of a marlin skeleton, and another with a taxidermy marlin. — Lucia Tonelli, ELLE Decor, "Damien Hirst Designs the World’s Most Expensive Hotel Suite in Las Vegas," 4 Mar. 2019 As noted above, Amazon keeps these recordings to personalize the Alexa experience to your household and uses them to create an acoustic model of your voice. — Natt Garun, The Verge, "How to hear (and delete) every conversation your Amazon Alexa has recorded," 28 Feb. 2019 Tuesday had the most mentions with more than 893,000, above Gillette’s daily average of about 1,300 mentions for the previous 25 days. — Aisha Al-muslim, WSJ, "Gillette’s Ad With a #MeToo Edge Gets Mixed Reactions," 17 Jan. 2019 As mentioned above there are quite a few new toolkits under the hood, but there's also completely revamped code editor known, appropriately enough, as Code. — Scott Gilbertson, Ars Technica, "A tour of elementary OS, perhaps the Linux world’s best hope for the mainstream," 28 Dec. 2018 See their full convo in the video above starting at 0:55. — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Prince William and Bradley Cooper Talked About A Star Is Born and Lady Gaga at the BAFTAs," 11 Feb. 2019 Check out the video above featuring gorgeous dresses, jewelry, and beauty looks. — Seventeen, "Go Behind the Scenes at Seventeen's Prom Cover Shoot," 11 Jan. 2019 Darting clusters of weaverbirds filled the camel thorn branches above us. — Stanley Stewart, Condé Nast Traveler, "Going Off-Grid in Namibia," 21 Dec. 2018 Check out the video above and instructions below to make these wholesome balls of goodness. — Stephanie Eckelkamp, Good Housekeeping, "These DIY Pumpkin Oatmeal Dog Treats Are So Good You Might Just Eat Them Yourself," 3 Sep. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

To see images taken from high above was to realize this still novel technology might one day show far more than previously imagined. — Peter Manseau, Smithsonian, "Meet Mr. Mumler, the Man Who “Captured” Lincoln’s Ghost on Camera," 11 Oct. 2017 After the war, however, Roman coins (like the one above) match the signature of the silver mines in the Iberian Peninsula. — Lizzie Wade, Science | AAAS, "This coin reveals when Rome became an empire," 14 Aug. 2017 All of the above are made from chemicals or materials that are bad for the environment, so follow Forecastle's lead and stay away from the cliche party accessories. 5. — Bailey Loosemore, The Courier-Journal, "5 ways to help save the planet at Forecastle Festival," 6 July 2017 Above, 16 of our favorite makes (at every price point) of Mary Janes. — Rachel Waldman, Vogue, "Ditch Your Ballet Flats For Mary Janes," 28 June 2017 Above is Turkish coffee ice cream, Jivara-coffee Chantilly cream, ginger caramel, and chocolate fondant. — Alex Beggs, Bon Appetit, "5 Fancy Desserts from the Best Pastry Chefs in the Country," 21 Apr. 2017

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Repeat the above squat-to-lunge sequence for 20 seconds and then rest for 10 seconds. — Jenny Mccoy, SELF, "Work Your Legs Anywhere With This 4-Minute Circuit From Carrie Underwood’s Trainer," 3 Jan. 2019 Bank of America Merrill Lynch in 2018 found that by investing in companies with above-average scores, investors could have avoided 90% of bankruptcies between 2005 and 2017. — Rob Curran, WSJ, "PG&E’s Bankruptcy Shows Blindspots in Green Investing," 14 Feb. 2019 Here, try out all the above songs for yourself with this playlist: For more stories like this, including celebrity news, beauty and fashion advice, savvy political commentary, and fascinating features, sign up for the Marie Claire newsletter. — The Editors, Marie Claire, "Behold: A Sex Playlist That Won't Make You Cringe," 31 Jan. 2019 Consider supporting the above organizations instead, as TSA workers will rely on them as well. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "How to Help Federal Workers During the Government Shutdown," 25 Jan. 2019 Tommy Martinez: Gael is a Latino man, graphic designer, artist, painter, sculptor, all of the above there. — Tamara Fuentes, Seventeen, ""Good Trouble"'s Cierra Ramirez and Tommy Martinez Get Real About Working With Noah Centineo, Bisexual Representation, and What’s Next for The “Fosters” Spin-Off," 10 Jan. 2019 During springtime, frozen carbon dioxide trapped below the ice cap turns from a solid state into a gas, forming features that from above look like dark spiders. — Shannon Stirone, WIRED, "Space Photos of the Week: Mars Has Spiders in the Springtime," 14 July 2018 All of the above has contributed to the declassification of body hair as something gross, unhygienic, or even taboo, as had been the case for years. — Deanna Pai, Glamour, "Millennial Razor Brands Are on a Mission to Embrace Body Hair," 16 Oct. 2018 Truthfully, sustainability is an umbrella term that encompasses all of the above, and then some. — Emily Farra, Vogue, "4 Ways the CFDA’s New Sustainability Report Will Change Your Fashion Week Conversations," 16 Jan. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'above.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of above

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Preposition

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1691, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Adjective

circa 1515, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for above

Adverb

Middle English above, aboven, going back to Old English abufan, from a- a- entry 1 + bufan "above" (akin to Old Saxon bi-oƀan, Middle Dutch bōven, Old Frisian bova, Middle High German bobene), from be- be- + ufan "above, from above," going back to Germanic *uban- (whence Old Saxon oƀana "from above," Old High German obana), from *ub- "above, on" + *-an-, adverbial suffix — more at over entry 1