overboard

adverb

over·board | \ ˈō-vər-ˌbȯrd

How to pronounce overboard (audio)

\

Definition of overboard

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 Her best friend has to get her stomach pumped after going overboard at a party. — Neal Justin, Star Tribune, "Reliving 'My So-Called Life,' one of the greatest series in TV history," 25 Mar. 2021 Going overboard because you are filled with enthusiasm and passion might not go over well with some people. — Tribune Content Agency, oregonlive, "Horoscope for Jan. 17, 2021: Happy birthday Zooey Deschanel; Aquarius, watch for red flags," 17 Jan. 2021 When that trash gets collected by a barge and moved to a garbage island, government officials estimate 25% falls overboard into the ocean. — Lindsey Mcginnis, The Christian Science Monitor, "Points of Progress: Atlanta tackles gentrification, and more," 26 Feb. 2021 On New Year’s Eve a boat carrying 60 of Sanker’s maskless partygoers off the coast of Nuevo Vallarta capsized, sending circuit boys overboard as many held their smartphones aloft from the sea while waiting to be rescued. — Tony Bravo, SFChronicle.com, "#gaysovercovid reminds us that it’s OK to clap back on bad pandemic behavior," 15 Jan. 2021 Two weeks later, on May 10, Evgenia Pankrushyna, a waitress from Ukraine, died after jumping overboard from Carnival’s Regal Princess near Rotterdam. — Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, "What Happened to Cruise Ship Workers Once the Passengers Were Gone?," 15 Jan. 2021 Two years ago, a law banning the wasteful practice of tossing unwanted fish overboard came fully into effect in European waters. — Erik Stokstad, Science | AAAS, "Researchers say Europe’s ban on throwing unwanted fish overboard is backfiring," 13 Jan. 2021 From going overboard with bleach to using products filled with harsh ingredients (or a lack of moisturizing agents), there are many different causes behind hair damage. — Victoria Moorhouse, Forbes, "The 10 Best Shampoos For Dry, Damaged Hair," 3 Mar. 2021 Perhaps the biggest question, Grubert says, is how to make power grids nimble enough to make energy reserves useful, without going overboard. — Gregory Barber, Wired, "When the Grid Goes Down, Can a Fleet of Batteries Replace It?," 24 Feb. 2021

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

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about overboard

Dictionary Entries near overboard

Statistics for overboard

Last Updated

30 Mar 2021

Cite this Entry

“Overboard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overboard. Accessed 14 Apr. 2021.

Style: MLA

MLA

Chicago

APA

Merriam-Webster Check Mark Icon

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for overboard

overboard

adverb

English Language Learners Definition of overboard

: over the side of a ship into the water

See the full definition for overboard in the English Language Learners Dictionary

overboard

adverb

over·board | \ ˈō-vər-ˌbȯrd

\

Kids Definition of overboard

1 : over the side of a ship into the water Don't fall overboard!

2 : to extremes of enthusiasm He went overboard with this party.

Comments on overboard

What made you want to look up overboard? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

WORD OF THE DAY

discomfit

Listen to the pronunciation of discomfit

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

The Exceptions Quiz III

Which of these words does not mean "nonsense"?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ

Spell words. Make bears.

TAKE THE QUIZ