o·ver / ˈōvər/ • prep. 1. extending directly upward from: I saw flames over Berlin. ∎  above so as to cover or protect: an oxygen tent over the bed ladle this sauce over fresh pasta. ∎  extending above (a general area) from a vantage point: views over Hyde Park. ∎  at the other side of; beyond: over the hill is a small village.2. expressing passage or trajectory across: she trudged over the lawn. ∎  beyond and falling or hanging from: it toppled over the cliff. ∎  expressing duration: inventories have been refined over many years she told me over coffee. ∎  by means of; by the medium of: over the loudspeaker.3. at a higher level or layer than: watching a television hanging over the bar. ∎  higher in grade or rank than: over him is the financial director. ∎  expressing authority or control: editorial control over what is included. ∎  expressing preference: I'd choose the well-known brand over that one. ∎  expressing greater number: the predominance of Asian over African managers in the sample. ∎  higher in volume or pitch than: he shouted over the noise of the taxis.4. higher than or more than (a specified number or quantity): over 40 degrees C they have lived together for over a year.5. on the subject of: a heated debate over unemployment.• adv. 1. expressing passage or trajectory across an area: he leaned over and tapped me on the hand. ∎  beyond and falling or hanging from a point: listing over at an acute angle.2. in or to the place mentioned or indicated: over here come over and cheer us up.3. used to express action and result: the car flipped over hand the money over. ∎  finished: the match is over message understood, over and out.4. used to express repetition of a process: twice over the sums will have to be done over again.• n. Cricket a sequence of six balls bowled by a bowler from one end of the pitch. ∎  the period of play for this.PHRASES: be over no longer be affected by: we were over the worst.get something over with do or undergo something unpleasant or difficult, so as to be rid of it.over against adjacent to: over against the wall. ∎  in contrast with: over against heaven is hell.over and above in addition to: exceptional service over and above what normally might be expected.over and done with completely finished.over and over again and again.ORIGIN: Old English ofer, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch over and German über, from an Indo-European word (originally a comparative of the element represented by -ove in above) which is also the base of Latin super and Greek huper.

over adv. (also prep. in corr. senses) above; to or on the other side; above a certain quantity OE.; excessively, too XIII; through the whole extent XIV; gone by, done with XVII. OE. ofer = OS. obar (Du. over), OHG. ubar prep., ubiri adv. (G. über), ON. yfir, Goth. ufar :- Gmc. *uberi :- IE. *uperi, compar. formation (cf. Skr. upári, Gr. hupér, L. super) on *upó from under towards. over adj. ME. ouere (XIII) began as a graphic var. of uuere (with o for u before u) :- OE. ufer(r)a, yfer(r)a; superseded in gen. use by the adv. form.