Illustration of overall
- overall 1b
over·all
ˌō-vər-ˈȯl 
1
: all over sense 1
the pattern used overall
2
: from one end to the other
600 feet long overall
3
a
: in view of all the circumstances or conditions
overall, the sale was a success
b
: as a whole : generally
doesn't do as well overall
overall and in most of its detail the film has remarkable power—
Time
Time
c
: with everyone or everything taken into account
was third overall in earnings
got 31 miles to the gallon overall
over·all
ˈō-vər-ˌȯl
1
a
b
usually overalls
: trousers of strong material usually with a bib and shoulder straps
2
chiefly British
: a loose-fitting protective smock worn over regular clothing
over·all
ˌō-vər-ˈȯl
ˈō-vər-ˌȯl
ˈō-vər-ˌȯl
1
: including everything
2
: viewed as a whole : general
Synonyms
Examples of overall in a Sentence
Adverb
He made a few mistakes but did well overall.
Overall, the project was successful.
Adjective
your overall score after two rounds
His mistake didn't change my overall impression of him.
Your overall health is sound.
She likes the overall quality of the product.
The scratch didn't affect the car's overall appearance.
Recent Examples on the WebBill Lukitsch, Kansas City Star, 19 Apr. 2024
The Penguins would have fallen to 20th overall had the Wild, who finished with 87 points, won or earned a point against the Kraken.
—Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2024
Collier, the No. 1 recruit in the country last season, was projected to go as high as first overall in the NBA draft before sitting out four weeks of the season because of a broken hand.
—Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
The Indiana Fever will take her with the first pick overall in the 2024 draft.
—Sean Gregory, TIME, 8 Apr. 2024
Too many fruits on a branch make for small fruits overall.
—Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Apr. 2024
What is different about this seventh season on ABC, season 22 overall, compared to past years?
—Fred Bronson, Billboard, 5 Apr. 2024
Sales of new vehicles overall grew nearly 5%, and the EV market share declined to 7.1%.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2024
The back has a convenient drop-in pocket, and overall, these pants fit just like leggings, but have a light flare at the bottom that gives them a more relaxed fit, reminiscent of yoga pants from the 2010s.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Southern Living, 27 Mar. 2024
Daniel Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 18 Apr. 2024
According to predictions by the European Council on Foreign Relations, the radical right Identity and Democracy group could become the third biggest overall in the next European Parliament, behind the Christian Democrats and the Socialists, but edging out the Liberals and Greens.
—Raf Casert, Quartz, 18 Apr. 2024
These along with the side zipper make getting in and out of the overalls super easy and fast.
—Karthika Gupta, Travel + Leisure, 14 Apr. 2024
That’s a full four times larger than the proportion of Black youth in the state overall, according to the state Legislative Analyst’s Office.
—Darrell Smith, Sacramento Bee, 12 Apr. 2024
Even after outscoring the Knicks by seven points in clutch time on Tuesday, Miami has been outscored by 33 points in 128 clutch minutes, by far the worst of any Eastern Conference team with a top eight seed and 22nd in the league overall.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2024
The country legend trio — Nelson, Parton, and Martell — all provided interludes on Cowboy Carter and seem to be large inspirations for the LP overall.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 1 Apr. 2024
Read on to find out what the richest city in Kentucky is, plus the top 50 wealthiest cities in the state overall.
—Andrew Depietro, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Luka Garza, a 6-10 traditional post and national player of the year after averaging 24.1 points for Iowa, was drafted 52nd overall by the Detroit Pistons in 2021.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Apr. 2024
Alicia Wallace, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024
The rooms have themes, but these are subordinate to the show’s overall flow, which focuses on pairings and dialogues.
—Kriston Capps, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
Together, the cost of housing and gas accounted for more than half the monthly increase in overall prices
Rent increased 0.4% in March, easing slightly from the prior month but the latest in a flurry of hefty gains.
—Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2024
As the weather has gotten warmer in Ukraine and the heating season is over, the country is still not generating enough power to meet the overall demand from consumers, meaning there are rolling power cuts for millions of people in several regions.
—Tom Soufi Burridge, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2024
In San Diego, for example, Black people account for almost 25 percent of the unsheltered population, or 4.5 times their number among the overall population, the audit said.
—Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 2024
Former Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery was a hardline, law-and-order politician who critics described as overall punitive.
—Sasha Hupka, The Arizona Republic, 8 Apr. 2024
In her permanent role, Tang will need to tackle the mandate to expand readership and navigate a punishing overall media landscape.
—Katie Kilkenny, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Apr. 2024
This approach not only promotes financial wellness but also aligns with the evolving needs of employees in managing their overall financial security.
—Brian Menickella, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Adverb
Jorgenson said the community and neighbors have overall been generally supportive of and excited about the project.
—Bill Lukitsch, Kansas City Star, 19 Apr. 2024
The Penguins would have fallen to 20th overall had the Wild, who finished with 87 points, won or earned a point against the Kraken.
—Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2024
Collier, the No. 1 recruit in the country last season, was projected to go as high as first overall in the NBA draft before sitting out four weeks of the season because of a broken hand.
—Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
The Indiana Fever will take her with the first pick overall in the 2024 draft.
—Sean Gregory, TIME, 8 Apr. 2024
Too many fruits on a branch make for small fruits overall.
—Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Apr. 2024
What is different about this seventh season on ABC, season 22 overall, compared to past years?
—Fred Bronson, Billboard, 5 Apr. 2024
Sales of new vehicles overall grew nearly 5%, and the EV market share declined to 7.1%.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2024
The back has a convenient drop-in pocket, and overall, these pants fit just like leggings, but have a light flare at the bottom that gives them a more relaxed fit, reminiscent of yoga pants from the 2010s.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Southern Living, 27 Mar. 2024
Noun
That is nearly twice as high as Native Americans in other states and more than three times higher than the U.S. overall, the report said.
—Daniel Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 18 Apr. 2024
According to predictions by the European Council on Foreign Relations, the radical right Identity and Democracy group could become the third biggest overall in the next European Parliament, behind the Christian Democrats and the Socialists, but edging out the Liberals and Greens.
—Raf Casert, Quartz, 18 Apr. 2024
These along with the side zipper make getting in and out of the overalls super easy and fast.
—Karthika Gupta, Travel + Leisure, 14 Apr. 2024
That’s a full four times larger than the proportion of Black youth in the state overall, according to the state Legislative Analyst’s Office.
—Darrell Smith, Sacramento Bee, 12 Apr. 2024
Even after outscoring the Knicks by seven points in clutch time on Tuesday, Miami has been outscored by 33 points in 128 clutch minutes, by far the worst of any Eastern Conference team with a top eight seed and 22nd in the league overall.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2024
The country legend trio — Nelson, Parton, and Martell — all provided interludes on Cowboy Carter and seem to be large inspirations for the LP overall.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 1 Apr. 2024
Read on to find out what the richest city in Kentucky is, plus the top 50 wealthiest cities in the state overall.
—Andrew Depietro, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Luka Garza, a 6-10 traditional post and national player of the year after averaging 24.1 points for Iowa, was drafted 52nd overall by the Detroit Pistons in 2021.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Apr. 2024
Adjective
The services excluding shelter index continued to outpace overall inflation, rising 0.5% for the month and 5.3% for the year, according to the report.
—Alicia Wallace, CNN, 10 Apr. 2024
The rooms have themes, but these are subordinate to the show’s overall flow, which focuses on pairings and dialogues.
—Kriston Capps, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
Together, the cost of housing and gas accounted for more than half the monthly increase in overall prices
Rent increased 0.4% in March, easing slightly from the prior month but the latest in a flurry of hefty gains.
—Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2024
As the weather has gotten warmer in Ukraine and the heating season is over, the country is still not generating enough power to meet the overall demand from consumers, meaning there are rolling power cuts for millions of people in several regions.
—Tom Soufi Burridge, ABC News, 10 Apr. 2024
In San Diego, for example, Black people account for almost 25 percent of the unsheltered population, or 4.5 times their number among the overall population, the audit said.
—Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 2024
Former Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery was a hardline, law-and-order politician who critics described as overall punitive.
—Sasha Hupka, The Arizona Republic, 8 Apr. 2024
In her permanent role, Tang will need to tackle the mandate to expand readership and navigate a punishing overall media landscape.
—Katie Kilkenny, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Apr. 2024
This approach not only promotes financial wellness but also aligns with the evolving needs of employees in managing their overall financial security.
—Brian Menickella, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'overall.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near overall
Cite this Entry
“Overall.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overall. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
overall
1 of 2 adverb
over·all
ˌō-və-ˈrȯl
: as a whole : generally
we find your work satisfactory, overall
overall
2 of 2 adjectiveˌō-və-ˈrȯl,
ˈō-və-ˌrȯl
1
: including everything
overall expenses
2
: viewed as a whole : general
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