over·head
| \ ˌō-vər-ˈhed
\
\
Definition of overhead
(Entry 1 of 3)
: above one's head : aloft
overhead
adjective
over·head
| \ ˈō-vər-ˌhed
\
\
Definition of overhead (Entry 2 of 3)
1a
: operating, lying, or coming from above
b
: having the driving part above the part driven
valves operated by an overhead camshaft
2
: of or relating to overhead
overhead costs
overhead
noun
over·head
| \ ˈō-vər-ˌhed
\
\
Definition of overhead (Entry 3 of 3)
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Examples of overhead in a Sentence
Adverb
A chandelier hung directly overhead.
People were making noise in the balcony overhead.
Noun
Her company has very little overhead.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb
Tear gas wafted through the air, state police helicopters flew overhead, some people were bleeding from rubber bullet wounds.
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Ashley Remkus | Aremkus@al.com, al, "One city in Alabama is quietly dropping arrests made during last summer’s racial justice protests," 6 Apr. 2021
Information about Jones wouldn't be public for days, so as helicopters flew overhead and police dogs searched the surrounding woods, residents logged on to Facebook.
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NBC News, "In a Pennsylvania town, a Facebook group fills the local news void," 5 Apr. 2021
For two days, the town was engulfed in sporadic fighting between the militants and national security forces as helicopters operated by the South African private contractors flew overhead.
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New York Times, "As Militants Seize Mozambique Gas Hub, a Dash for Safety Turns Deadly," 28 Mar. 2021
The good news is the gusts calm some as high pressure settles in overhead and provides mostly sunny skies.
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Washington Post, "D.C.-area forecast: Soggy at times today into early Monday; highs in the 40s and 50s through midweek," 28 Feb. 2021
In southern Afghanistan, U.S. jets fly overhead almost nightly.
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New York Times, "U.S. Has 1,000 More Troops in Afghanistan Than It Disclosed," 14 Mar. 2021
Often the sound of dripping sap and the aroma of boiling sap into syrup were mixed with the sound of big wings beating and the deep musical honking of Canada geese passing overhead.
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Jim Gilbert, Star Tribune, "Sights of Canada geese, maple syrup season go together for naturalist," 11 Mar. 2021
The zero emissions aircraft, which Joby Aviation says is quiet at takeoff and near silent when flying overhead, is expected to be able to transport four passengers and a pilot up to 150 miles on a single charge and cruise at 200 mph.
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Phoebe Wall Howard, Detroit Free Press, "Matt Field, CFO of Ford North America, leaves for Joby Aviation air taxi service," 24 Feb. 2021
In fact, the experiment is so delicate that unrelated events such as an airplane flying overhead, wind buffeting the building or tiny seismic shifts in the ground beneath the detector can disturb the lasers in ways that mimic gravitational signals.
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Clara Moskowitz, Scientific American, "Gravitational Waves Discovered from Colliding Black Holes," 11 Feb. 2016
Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
Despite the fact the officer turned on his overhead emergency lights after the Jeep turned onto Albion Road, the driver didn’t pull over for a while.
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John Benson, cleveland, "Friendly drunk driver just wants to go home: North Royalton Police Blotter," 31 Mar. 2021
The overhead lights, which can be moved along beams running side to side and front and back, are augmented by lighting towers at the side of the stage.
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Matthew J. Palm, orlandosentinel.com, "Go behind the scenes and see how Orlando Ballet’s new Great Hall will make magic," 9 Mar. 2021
Above me, the overhead lights were bright, so bright.
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Jaquira Díaz, Time, "I Avoided Facing My Mental Illness for Decades. The Pandemic Changed That," 3 Mar. 2021
Senate rules require a negative test, conducted in a tent outside the Capitol’s north entrance, before anybody can walk onto the Senate floor, sit in the overhead gallery or enter a Senate committee room for a hearing.
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From Usa Today Network And Wire Reports, USA TODAY, "Underground proms, popcorn problems, lobster relief: News from around our 50 states," 25 Mar. 2021
Other preliminary plans include the addition of a 20-seat poker bar with 65-inch LCD overhead screens as well as new surface parking, table games, slots, chairs, flooring and lighting.
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Alexandria Burris, The Indianapolis Star, "This Indiana casino is undergoing a $32.5M expansion and creating 100 new jobs," 25 Mar. 2021
Now Kevin is an expert in what’s called pattern-of-life analysis, an esoteric discipline that involves establishing a person’s identity based on his or her cumulative habits, much of which is captured from overhead surveillance.
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Annie Jacobsen, Wired, "Palantir’s God’s-Eye View of Afghanistan," 20 Jan. 2021
It’s the mid-size organizations with higher overhead costs, full-time staff, and rent obligations that have struggled the most.
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Diti Kohli, BostonGlobe.com, "By the numbers: A year in ‘fiscal freefall’ for Massachusetts arts and culture," 12 Mar. 2021
The Metropolitan Museum of Art approved a policy last week that allows proceeds from the sale of works from its collection to be used for salaries and overhead costs associated with the collection’s care.
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Washington Post, "The Met is selling art to survive the pandemic. Critics say it’s a dangerous precedent.," 8 Mar. 2021
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
The sound of an airplane overhead, an overheard conversation, even the rustling of trees can provide a spark.
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New York Times, "Satoko Fujii, a Pianist Who Finds Music Hidden in the Details of Life," 17 Mar. 2021
But for the dull roar of bridge traffic overhead, the island feels far from city life.
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Washington Post, "Biologists say a wider American Legion Bridge would destroy critical research site," 11 Dec. 2020
Purchases of everyday office supplies, like printer paper, pens or file folders also count toward overhead.
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Sian Babish, chicagotribune.com, "How to start a business," 24 Mar. 2021
Here’s a guy just trying to create a nice, funny time for this audience, and there’s the reality of the outside world buzzing by overhead, looming in the sky, ready to interrupt at any moment.
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Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, "Nate Bargatze Invites You to Be Clueless, Too," 18 Mar. 2021
Twenty-one minutes after his departure, from a plane overhead, Redington could be seen passing an approaching team.
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Zachariah Hughes, Anchorage Daily News, "Mushers at the Iditarod’s midpoint prep for a new challenge: Head-on traffic," 12 Mar. 2021
However, working remotely has its benefits: less in-office overhead for you as the employer and more freedom and flexibility for your employees.
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Yec, Forbes, "How To Manage Your Remote Team As Your Company Grows," 2 Mar. 2021
Food constitutes roughly seventy per cent of the industry’s overhead, and so far the only commercially viable form is fish meal.
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Ian Urbina, The New Yorker, "Fish Farming Is Feeding the Globe. What’s the Cost for Locals?," 1 Mar. 2021
Every now and then a neighboring planet would drift by overhead, the nearest ones appearing twice the size of Earth’s full moon in the sky.
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Lee Billings, Scientific American, "Nearby Star Hosts 7 Earth-Size Planets," 22 Feb. 2017
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'overhead.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Last Updated
8 Apr 2021
Look-up Popularity
Cite this Entry
“Overhead.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overhead. Accessed 19 Apr. 2021.
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More Definitions for overhead
overhead
adverb
English Language Learners Definition of overhead
(Entry 1 of 2)
: above someone's head : in the sky or space above someone
overhead
noun
English Language Learners Definition of overhead (Entry 2 of 2)
US
: costs for rent, heat, electricity, etc., that a business must pay and that are not related to what the business sells
See the full definition for overhead in the English Language Learners Dictionary
overhead
adverb
over·head
| \ ˌō-vər-ˈhed
\
\
Kids Definition of overhead
(Entry 1 of 3)
: above someone's head : in the sky or space above someone
A chandelier hung directly overhead.
overhead
adjective
over·head
| \ ˈō-vər-ˌhed
\
\
Kids Definition of overhead (Entry 2 of 3)
: placed in the space above someone
an overhead light
overhead
noun
over·head
| \ ˈō-vər-ˌhed
\
\
Kids Definition of overhead (Entry 3 of 3)
: the general expenses (as for rent or heat) of a business
overhead
noun
over·head
| \ ˈō-vər-ˌhed
\
\
Legal Definition of overhead
: business expenses (as rent or insurance) not chargeable to a particular part of the work or product
Comments on overhead
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Time Traveler for overhead
The first known use of overhead was in the 15th century
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