over
over Lexical Profile
over Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Finished, concluded, or having come to an end.
"Once the semester is over, the students will return home for the summer."
• adverb
Across an intervening space or barrier to a specified location or person.
"They invited the new neighbors over for dinner on Friday evening."
So as to change position by turning to the other side or falling downward from an upright state.
"She turned the page over to read the instructions on the back."
One more time from the beginning; repeatedly.
"He practiced the piano piece over and over until he knew it by heart."
In excess of a required amount; remaining as a surplus.
"After paying for the textbooks, she had twenty dollars left over."
• preposition
Extending directly upward from, or at a higher level than, without necessarily touching.
"A large chandelier hung over the dining room table."
Moving across from one side to the other of an obstacle, space, or surface, or resting upon so as to cover.
"She draped a warm wool blanket over the sleeping child."
Higher or greater than a specified number, amount, age, or limit.
"The museum welcomed over five thousand visitors during its opening weekend."
Throughout the duration of or during a particular period of time.
"We discussed the research proposal over lunch."
On the subject of; concerning or regarding.
"The committee held a lengthy debate over the proposed budget cuts."
• interjection
Used in two-way radio communication to indicate that the speaker has finished talking and is waiting for a reply.
"We have reached the northern base camp safely, over."
• noun
In cricket, a division of play consisting of a sequence of six legal balls bowled by a single player from one end of the pitch.
"The fast bowler conceded only two runs during his final over."
Word Nuance & Usage
'Over' and 'above' both indicate a higher position, but 'over' often implies movement across, direct vertical alignment, or physical covering, whereas 'above' typically denotes a static relative height or level on a scale.
• Rhymes for over
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'ofer', of Germanic origin and related to Dutch 'over' and German 'über', ultimately derived from an Indo-European root shared with Latin 'super' and Ancient Greek 'hyper'.