overboard

adverb

over·​board ˈō-vər-ˌbȯrd 

1

: over the side of a ship or boat into the water

2

: to extremes of enthusiasm

3

: into discard : aside

Examples of overboard in a Sentence

He threw the fish overboard.

The boy fell overboard and almost drowned.

One of the sailors fell into the water, and someone shouted “Man overboard!”.

Recent Examples on the Web

The couple was headed back to their sailboat Soulmate, their full-time home in retirement, when Lynette fell overboard. —Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 9 June 2026

Brian Hooker told authorities his wife went overboard from the dinghy on April 4. —Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 9 June 2026

Adams also told jurors of the chaos after impact, when everyone was thrown overboard. —Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 8 June 2026

This could be taken as the view of someone escaping enslavement by jumping overboard during the Middle Passage, until an unseen narrator praises Christopher Columbus’s discovery of the New World. —Greg Allen, ARTnews.com, 7 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

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

Phrases Containing overboard

• go overboard
• wash overboard

Rhymes for overboard

• checkerboard
• clavichord
• fiberboard
• fibreboard
• fingerboard
• harpsichord
• motherboard
• notochord
• overlord
• paperboard
• plasterboard
• shuffleboard

Kids Definition

overboard

adverb

over·​board ˈō-vər-ˌbō(ə)rd 

-ˌbȯ(ə)rd

1

: over the side of a ship into the water

2

: to extremes of enthusiasm

go overboard for a new fad