over
UK /ˈəʊ̯.və/ · US /ˈoʊ̯.vɚ/ adjective, adverb, noun, preposition, interjection, verb, proper noun
Forms overs overing overed o'er ower ouer ovuh
- adjective Finished; ended; concluded. “The show isn't over until the fat lady sings.”
- adjective (botany) Of a flower: wilting or withering.
- adjective (informal, of an ongoing situation) Hopeless; irrecoverable. “We're keeping our marriage going for the sake of the kids, but really it's over.”
- adjective (informal) Visiting one's home or other location. “My sister's over for the week.”
- adjective Having surmounted an obstacle. “The horse struggled at that fence, but it's over.”
- adjective (informal) Having an excess in a particular respect. “This steak is well over. (overcooked)”
- adjective Surplus to requirements. “I made 20 cakes, but I only need 18, so there are two over.”
- adjective (professional wrestling slang) Of a wrestler: generating a reaction from fans.
- adverb From one position or location to another, horizontally or approximately so, or along a route visualised as "across". “That vase isn't exactly central. Could you move it over a couple of inches?”
- adverb Across from one side of something to the other. “I need to cross the river. Can you take me over in your boat?”
- adverb So as to pass above. “I looked up just as a helicopter flew over.”
- adverb Up one side of something, across, and then down the other side. “The fence is too high. I don't think I'll be able to get over.”
- adverb Across something, such as an edge, and then downwards. “The car rolled to the edge of the cliff and went straight over.”
- adverb From an upright position to a horizontal one. “He tipped the bottle over, and the water came gushing out.”
- adverb So as to fold towards or onto itself. “Bend the end of that wire over to make a hook.”
- adverb On top of something, or so as to cover something. “Paint it over with a darker colour.”
- noun (cricket) A set of six legal balls bowled. “Jones hit four boundaries in the first over.”
- noun Any surplus amount of money, goods delivered, etc.
- noun (informal) Something having an excess of a particular property. “I went fishing but caught mostly overs.”
- noun (gambling) A bet that a particular sporting statistic, such as points scored in a game, will be above a certain stated value.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English over, from Old English ofer, ofor, ouer, from Proto-West Germanic *obar, from Proto-Germanic *uber (“over”), from Proto-Indo-European *upér (“above; over”).
Cognate with Scots ower (“over”), Yola oer, ower, owr (“over”), Saterland Frisian uur (“over”), West Frisian oer (“over, across”), Cimbrian übar (“over”), Dutch over (“over”), German ober, über, ueber (“over, above”), Limburgish euver, övver (“over”), Low German över, üöver (“over”), Luxembourgish iwwer (“over”), Mòcheno iber (“over”), Yiddish איבער (iber, “over”), Danish and Norwegian Bokmål over (“over”), Elfdalian yvyr (“over”), Faroese yvir (“over”), Icelandic yfir (“over”), Norwegian Nynorsk over, yver, yvi (“over”), Swedish över (“over”), Gothic 𐌿𐍆𐌰𐍂 (ufar, “over”); also Breton and Cornish war (“on, over”), Irish ar (“on”), Manx er (“on”), Scottish Gaelic air (“on, upon”), Latin super (“above, over”), Ancient Greek ῠ̔πείρ (hŭpeír), ὑπέρ (hupér), ῠ̔́περ (hŭ́per, “above, over”), Albanian epër (“above, high, overhead, up, upward”), Armenian վեր (ver, “up”), Avestan 𐬎𐬞𐬀𐬌𐬭𐬌 (upaⁱri, “above, over”), Persian بر (bar, “on; onto; upon”), Sanskrit उपरि (upari, “above, over”).
Doublet of uber, super, and hyper.
From Middle English over (“riverbank, seashore, brink”), from Old English ōfer (“riverbank, seashore, brink, edge, margin, border”), from Proto-Germanic *ōferaz. Cognate with Dutch oever (“riverbank, shore”), German Ufer (“shore, shoreline, riverbank”), Low German Över (“shore, riverbank”).
Webster’s 1913
- preposition Above, or higher than, in place or position, with the idea of covering; --opposed to Ant: under; as, clouds are over our heads; the smoke rises over the city.
- preposition Across; from side to side of; --implying a passing or moving, either above the substance or thing, or on the surface of it; as, a dog leaps over a stream or a table.
- adverb From one side to another; from side to side; across; crosswise; as, a board, or a tree, a foot over, i. e., a foot in diameter.
- adverb From one person or place to another regarded as on the opposite side of a space or barrier; --used with verbs of motion; as, to sail over to England; to hand over the money; to go over to the enemy. "We will pass over to Gibeah." Judges xix. 12. Also, with verbs of being: At, or on, the opposite side; as, the boat is over.
Etymology [AS. ofer; akin to D. over, G. über, OHG. ubir, ubar, Dan. over, Sw. öfver, Icel. yfir, Goth. ufar, L. super, Gr. upari. Above, Eaves, Hyper-, Orlop, Super-, Sovereign, Up.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “over”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details