Definition of over
1a : across a barrier or intervening (see intervene 4) space; especially : across the goal line in football threw the ball overb : forward beyond an edge or brink and often down wandered too near the cliff and fell overc : across the brim soup boiled overd : so as to bring the underside up turned his cards overe : from a vertical to a prone or inclined position knocked the lamp overf : from one person or side to another hand it overg : across got his point overh : to one's home invite some friends overi : on the other side of an intervening (see intervene 4) space the next town overj : to agreement or concord won them over
2a (1) : beyond some quantity, limit, or norm often by a specified amount or to a specified degree show ran a minute over (2) : in an excessive manner : inordinately over-conservative traditionalists — John Arlottb : till a later time (such as the next day) : overnight stay over sleep over
3a : above The plane was directly over.b : so as to cover the whole surface windows boarded over
4 —used on a two-way radio circuit to indicate that a message is complete and a reply is expected
5a : through read it over; also : in an intensive or comprehensive manner talked the matter over with his wifeb : once more : again do it over Let's start over from the beginning.
From the M-W Editors
Examples of over in a Sentence
The wall's too high for us to climb over.
We came to a stream and jumped over.
She leaned over and kissed him.
She knocked over the lamp.
A couple of trees fell over during the storm.
The baby rolled over onto his stomach.
Origin and Etymology of over
Middle English, adverb & preposition, from Old English ofer; akin to Old High German ubar (preposition) above, beyond, over, Latin super, Greek hyper
over
Definition of over
1 —used as a function word to indicate motion or situation in a position higher than or above another towered over his mother flew over the lake rode over the old Roman road
2a —used as a function word to indicate the possession of authority, power, or jurisdiction in regard to some thing or person respected those over himb —used as a function word to indicate superiority, advantage, or preference a big lead over the othersc —used as a function word to indicate one that is overcome, circumvented, or disregarded passed over the governor's veto
3a : more than cost over $5b : above 4
4a —used as a function word to indicate position upon or movement down upon laid a blanket over the child hit him over the headb (1) : all through or throughout showed me over the house went over his notes (2) —used as a function word connecting one mathematical set and another whose elements are coefficients or values of parameters used to form elements of the first set polynomials over the field of real numbersc —used as a function word to indicate a particular medium or channel of communication over the radio
5 —used as a function word to indicate position on or motion to the other side or beyond lives over the way fell over the edge
6a : throughout, during over the past 25 yearsb : until the end of stay over Sunday
7a —used as a function word to indicate an object of solicitude, interest, consideration, or reference the Lord watches over his ownb —used as a function word to indicate the object of an expressed or implied occupation, activity, or concern trouble over money met with advisers over lunch
Examples of over in a Sentence
The sun's coming up over the mountain.
She looked at him over the top of her glasses.
Their balcony looks out over the city.
He looked over the fence.
A plane was flying low over the trees.
The meat was cooked over an open fire.
She slung the bag over her shoulder.
His hat was pulled low over his eyes.
Throw the rocks over the side of the boat.
He fell over the cliff's edge.
Origin and Etymology of over
see 1over
over
Definition of over
over easy
: fried on one side then turned and fried lightly on the other side eggs over easy
Examples of over in a Sentence
When is this class over?
And before we knew it, the storm was over.
When it's over, it's over. You don't get a second chance.
Recent Examples of over from the Web
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And that will take care of itself over time as the economy ratchets up the growth rate.
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That first segment, which is over land as flat as a table, requiring very little bulldozing and very few superelevated curves, was supposed to cost $6.4 billion, but that’s already ballooned to $10 billion.
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Of course, an amiable laxness with story structure is a hazard of the all-over style — at first, the pace lags — but in a short book like this, a little slowness is not fatal.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'over.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of over
see 1over
over
Definition of over
overed
;overing
play \ˈō-və-riŋ, ˈōv-riŋ\transitive verb
: to leap over
Recent Examples of over from the Web
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No need to over compensate with outlandish declarations, poetic prophecies, or violent guarantees.
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Tellingly, Trump’s prior personal financial disclosures were accompanied by statements describing his overall net worth in big capital letters: from $9 billion to $10 billion to over $10 billion, by Trump’s own calculation.
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The price of Stanton’s unit was not disclosed, but similar units in the building have sold from $1.8 million to over $6 million.
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Weaknesses: Air Force is accustomed to turnover on the roster, but the losses the team suffered after the 2016 season could prove to be difficult to over.
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Be careful not to over whip or the cream will separate.
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Fruit can range from less than a half-inch to over an inch.
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Fungus gnats, the bothersome small fruit fly-size pest prefer wet, organic rich soils, so careful not to over water.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'over.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of over
see 1over
over-
Definition of over-
1 : so as to exceed or surpass overachieve
2 : excessive overstimulation
3 : to an excessive degree overthin
overabstract
overabundance
overabundant
overaccentuate
overadjustment
OVER Defined for English Language Learners
over
playDefinition of over for English Language Learners
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: in an upward and forward direction across something
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: downward from an upright position
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: downward to a flat or horizontal position
over
Definition of over for English Language Learners
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: from, to, or at a place that is higher than (someone or something)
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: on top of (something) : so as to cover (something)
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: beyond and down from (something)
over
Definition of over for English Language Learners
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: having reached the end
over-
Definition of over- for English Language Learners
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: too much or too great
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: so as to be better or beyond
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: very or extremely
OVER Defined for Kids
Definition of over for Students
1 : across a barrier or space Just climb over. Can you move over?
2 : in a direction down or forward and down It fell over.
3 : across the brim The soup boiled over.
4 : so as to bring the underside up Turn the cards over.
5 : from one person or side to another Hand it over.
6 : to someone's home I asked them over.
7 : beyond a limit The show ran a minute over.
8 : more than needed She has food left over.
over and over
Definition of over for Students
1 : above in place : higher than He towered over us.
2 : above in power or value I respect those over me.
3 : in front of We have a big lead over the others.
4 : more than It costs over five dollars.
5 : down upon He hit me over the head.
6 : all through or throughout “… our dad gets to travel all over the country …” — Christopher Paul Curtis, Bud, Not Buddy
7 : on or along the surface of Glide over the ice.
8 : on or to the other side of : across Jump over the puddle.
Definition of over for Students
1 : being more than needed or expected The balance was three dollars over.
2 : brought or come to an end Those days are over.
over-
Definition of over- for Students
: more than usual, normal, or proper overload oversize
Law Dictionary
Learn More about over
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See words that rhyme with over Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for over Spanish Central: Translation of over Nglish: Translation of over for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of over for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about over
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