What does "over" mean?

1. (above or covering) in a position higher than something, or covering it. 2. (across to the other side) from one side of something to the other. 3. (more than) higher than a particular number, amount, or age. 4. (during a time) throughout a period of time. 5. (movement to a place) moving toward a person or a specific location. 6. (again) doing something one more time, often because the first time was not good. 7. (finished) when something has reached its end. 8. (cricket) a set of six balls bowled in the game of cricket. 9. (radio communication) you say this on a radio to show you have finished speaking and want an answer.

over — meaning, definition & examples

Word

01above or covering

A1 · Beginner

prep. in a position higher than something, or covering it.

prep. positioned vertically above or extending across the surface of something.

“She put a warm blanket over the sleeping child.”

“The heavy clouds hung low over the valley, obscuring the mountain peaks from view.”

Synonyms

above atop

Antonyms

under below

02across to the other side

A1 · Beginner

prep. from one side of something to the other.

prep. expressing movement across a space, barrier, or surface from one side to another.

“The dog jumped over the fence to chase the ball.”

“The hikers struggled to carry their equipment over the narrow stone bridge.”

Synonyms

across

03more than

A1 · Beginner

prep. higher than a particular number, amount, or age.

prep. exceeding a specified numerical value, quantity, or limit.

“There were over fifty people waiting in line for the tickets.”

“The project cost significantly over the original budget due to unforeseen structural issues.”

Synonyms

exceeding above

Antonyms

under below

04during a time

A2 · Elementary

prep. throughout a period of time.

prep. occurring during or throughout the duration of a specified period.

“We discussed the new plan over lunch yesterday.”

“The company's reputation grew steadily over the next decade as they expanded into international markets.”

Synonyms

during throughout

05movement to a place

A2 · Elementary

adv. moving toward a person or a specific location.

adv. indicating movement toward a specific destination or the speaker's location.

“Why don't you come over to my house this evening?”

“He walked over to the window to get a better look at the street below.”

Synonyms

across nearby

06again

B1 · Intermediate

adv. doing something one more time, often because the first time was not good.

adv. indicating repetition, often from the beginning.

“I made too many mistakes, so I had to start the essay over.”

“The director asked the actors to do the scene over until the timing was perfect.”

Synonyms

again repeatedly

07finished

A2 · Elementary

adj. when something has reached its end.

adj. having reached a conclusion or end state.

“I am so glad the winter is finally over.”

“Once the meeting was over, the staff gathered in the breakroom to discuss the announcements.”

Synonyms

finished ended concluded

Antonyms

beginning starting

08cricket

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Sports British English

n. a set of six balls bowled in the game of cricket.

n. a sequence of six legal deliveries bowled from one end of the pitch.

“The bowler took two wickets in his final over of the match.”

“The captain decided to change the bowling attack after a particularly expensive over.”

09radio communication

B1 · Intermediate Technical

interj. you say this on a radio to show you have finished speaking and want an answer.

interj. a procedural word used in radio telephony to signal the end of a transmission while expecting a response.

“I have reached the target location, over.”

“The pilot confirmed the coordinates and ended the transmission with a crisp 'over'.”

Antonyms

out

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *úp Proto-Indo-European *-er Proto-Indo-European *upér Proto-Germanic *uber Proto-West Germanic *obar Old English ofer Middle English over English over From Middle English over, from Old English ofer, from Proto-West Germanic obar, from Proto-Germanic uber (“over”), from Proto-Indo-European upér, related to upó. Akin to 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, Norwegian Bokmål over (“over”), Faroese yvir (“over”), Icelandic yfir (“over”), Norwegian Nynorsk over, yver, yvi (“over”), Swedish över (“over”), Gothic 𐌿𐍆𐌰𐍂 (ufar, “over”), Latin super (“over, above”), Ancient Greek ὑπέρ (hupér, “over, above”), Albanian upri (“group of peasants”), Waigali var, vari, Sanskrit उपरि (upári, “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”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

VERB

NOUN