voice-over

noun

ˈvȯis-ˌō-vər 

1

a

: the voice of an unseen narrator speaking (as in a movie, television show, or commercial)

b

: the voice of a visible character (as in a movie, television show, or video game) expressing especially unspoken thoughts

2

: a recording of a voice-over

Examples of voice-over in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Screenwriter Miller and director Susanna White take it from the spare stage and the inner thoughts voiced by Comer’s English barrister and try to keep the same idea through the extensive use of voice-over thoughts of Cynthia Erivo‘s character Tessa. — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 13 Sep. 2026

Bosley also found success in voice-over work for animation, voicing the titular character on The World of David the Gnome and Jupiter on Jason and the Heroes of Mount Olympus. — Kate Hogan, PEOPLE, 9 Sep. 2026

According to the Lagerfeld company, the voice is synthetically generated specifically for the character, but based on a two-hour recording by a voice-over artist that was later refined by machines and humans. — Miles Socha, Footwear News, 1 Sep. 2026

It was positively received and earned Adlon another Emmy nomination for outstanding voice-over performance (2026). — Jordana Rosenfeld, Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1947, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for voice-over

• carryover
• changeover
• crossover
• cutover
• flashover
• hangover
• holdover
• layover
• leftover
• makeover
• moreover
• passover

Kids Definition

voice-over

noun

ˈvȯi-ˌsō-vər

: the voice in a film or television program of a person who is heard but not seen or not seen actually talking