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

Nellie Bly’s monkey, McGinty, bit people and harassed the crew, who tried to throw him overboard. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Nov. 2026

The Coast Guard is investigating what sent a cruise ship employee overboard near the coast of Southern California over the weekend. — Nicole Acevedo, NBC news, 9 Nov. 2026

The 40-foot homemade boat was overloaded with 64 people, who panicked and jumped overboard after De La Rosa began stabbing people, a Homeland Security Investigations criminal complaint states. — David Goodhue october 12, Miami Herald, 12 Oct. 2026

The Navy has reported that there were eight suicide attempts aboard the carrier during the deployment, including one sailor who jumped overboard and was later rescued. — ABC News, 8 Oct. 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