Above vs. Over

Main Difference

The main difference between above and over is that above as a preposition point out the height, whereas over means the movement at the higher level.

Above vs. Over — Is There a Difference?
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Difference Between Above and Over

Above vs. Over

Above point out something upward, whereas over point out something higher than above.

Above vs. Over

Above cannot perform as a prefix in sentences; on the other hand, over can also be used as a prefix.

Above vs. Over

Above indicate the place, conversely over point outs the location and suggestion.

Above vs. Over

Above can be used with a number; on the flip side, over cannot be used with numbers.

Abovepreposition

Physically over; on top of; worn on top of, as clothing.

He always put his coat on above his sweater.

Overadjective

Discontinued; ended or concluded.

The show is over.
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Abovepreposition

In or to a higher place; higher than; on or over the upper surface.

Overadverb

Thoroughly; completely; from beginning to end.

Let's talk over the project at tomorrow's meeting.Let me think that over.I'm going to look over our department's expenses.

Abovepreposition

Farther north than.

Idaho is above Utah.

Overadverb

To an excessive degree; overly.

Abovepreposition

Rising; appearing out of reach height-wise.

Overadverb

From an upright position to being horizontal.

He tipped the bottle over, and the water came gushing out.That building just fell over!He bent over to touch his toes.
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Abovepreposition

(figuratively) Higher than; superior to in any respect; surpassing; higher in measure, degree, volume, or pitch, etc. than; out of reach; not exposed to; not likely to be affected by; incapable of negative actions or thoughts.

Even the chief of police is not above suspicion.He was always above reproach.I thought you said you were above these kinds of antics.That's above my comprehension.to cut above average

Overadverb

Horizontally; left to right or right to left.

Slide the toilet-paper dispenser's door over when one roll is empty in order to reveal the other.I moved over to make room for him to sit down.

Abovepreposition

Higher in rank, status, or position.

to stand head and shoulders above the rest

Overadverb

From one position or state to another.

Please pass that over to me.He came over to our way of thinking on the new project.Come over and play!I'll bring over a pizza.

Abovepreposition

In addition to; besides.

above and beyond the call of dutyover and above

Overadverb

Overnight throughout the night.

We stayed over at Grandma's.Can I sleep over?

Abovepreposition

Surpassing in number or quantity; more than.

That amount is way above our asking price.

Overadverb

Again; another time; once more; over again.

I lost my paper and I had to do the entire assignment over.

Abovepreposition

In preference to.

Overadverb

(procedure word, military) a procedure word meaning that a station is finished transmitting and is expecting a response.

Bravo Six, this is Bravo Six Four. Stand by for ten mike report one dash three, over.Bravo Six Four, this is Bravo Six Actual. Send your traffic, over.

Abovepreposition

Too proud to stoop to; averse to; disinclined; too honorable to give.

The owner was above taking more than a token salary.

Overnoun

(cricket) A set of six legal balls bowled.

Abovepreposition

Beyond; on the other side.

Overnoun

Any surplus amount of money, goods delivered, etc.

Abovepreposition

(theater) Upstage of.

Overnoun

A shore, riverbank.

The sea's over.

Aboveadverb

Directly overhead; vertically on top of.

Overpreposition

Physical positioning.

Aboveadverb

Higher in the same page; earlier in the order as far as writing products go.

Overpreposition

On top of; above; higher than; further up.

Hold the sign up over your head.climb up the ladder and look over [the roof]

Aboveadverb

Into or from heaven; in the sky.

He's in a better place now, floating free as the clouds above.

Overpreposition

Across or spanning.

There is a bridge over the river.

Aboveadverb

In a higher place; upstairs; farther upstream.

Overpreposition

In such a way as to cover.

drape the fabric over the table;there is a roof over the house

Aboveadverb

Higher in rank, power, or position.

He appealed to the court above.

Overpreposition

From one physical position to another via an obstacle that must be traversed vertically, first upwards and then downwards.

The dog jumped over the fence.I'll go over [the fence] first and then help you.Let's walk over the hill to get there.

Aboveadverb

(archaic) In addition.

Overpreposition

By comparison.

Aboveadverb

More in number.

Overpreposition

More than; to a greater degree.

I prefer the purple over the pink.

Aboveadverb

Above zero; above freezing.

It was a cold day at only 5 above.

Overpreposition

Beyond; past; exceeding; too much or too far.

I think I’m over my limit for calories for today.

Aboveadverb

(biology) On the upper half or the dorsal surface of an animal.

The sparrow I saw was rufous above and off-white below.

Overpreposition

(in certain collocations) As compared to.

Sales are down this quarter over last.

Aboveadjective

Of heaven; heavenly.

Overpreposition

(mathematics) Divided by.

four over two equals two over one

Aboveadjective

Being located higher on the same page or on a preceding page.

Overpreposition

(poker) Separates the three of a kind from the pair in a full house.

9♦9♠9♣6♥6♠ = nines over sixes

Abovenoun

Heaven.

Overpreposition

Finished with; done with; from one state to another via a hindrance that must be solved or defeated; or via a third state that represents a significant difference from the first two.

We got over the engineering problems and the prototype works great.I am over my cold and feel great again.I know the referee made a bad call, but you have to get over it [your annoyance with the referee's decision].She is finally over [the distress of] losing her job.He is finally over his [distress over the loss of the relationship with his] ex-girlfriend.

Abovenoun

Something, especially a person's name in legal documents, that appears higher on the same page or on a preceding page.

Overpreposition

While using, especially while consuming.

Abovenoun

Higher authority.

Overpreposition

Concerning or regarding.

The two boys had a fight over whose girlfriend was the best.

Abovenoun

(archaic) betterment, raised status or condition.

Overpreposition

Above, implying superiority after a contest; in spite of; notwithstanding.

We triumphed over difficulties.The bill was passed over the veto.It was a fine victory over their opponents.

Aboveadjective

appearing earlier in the same text;

flaws in the above interpretation

Overinterjection

In radio communications: end of sentence, ready to receive reply.

How do you receive? Over!

Aboveadverb

at an earlier place;

see above

Overnoun

(cricket) the period during which a given number of balls (6 in England but 8 in Australia) are bowled at the batsman by one player from the other team from the same end of the pitch

Aboveadverb

in or to a place that is higher

Overadjective

having come or been brought to a conclusion;

the harvesting was completethe affair is over, ended, finishedthe abruptly terminated interview

Overadverb

at or to a point across intervening space etc.;

come over and see us some timeover there

Overadverb

throughout an area;

he is known the world over

Overadverb

in such a manner as to be understood and accepted;

she cannot get her ideas across

Overadverb

throughout a period of time;

stay over the weekend

Comparison Chart

Above Over
Above helps to point out the things that are at a higher level. We use over at the peak of the above.
Function
Adverb, preposition, adjective Adverb, preposition, adjective, prefix
Indication
Place Location and signal
Numbers
You can use it with numbers. You cannot use it with numbers.

Above vs. Over

Above point out the things that have no contact between them. Over comes when a thing traces another one. Over point out the position when a thing is above the other, then the first thing directly perpendicular to the last. To talk about temperature, we use the above. We use over in a position of covering something. We use above to point out a thing that is not directly over another. Over is also used in the meaning of falling from a place, during something or happening something. The above points out a thing that is higher than the other. The word over also points out the increasing periods.

What is Above?

Above point out the place of a thing, when the higher thing is not in a direct vertical line with the lower thing. We use above when we talk about something up to an extent, most important, and in advance place than something other. Above also means higher on a page, or the previous page or much important to perform something.

Examples

  • Aslam rents his house above a shop.
  • He looked at the clouds above.
  • We felt happy to see such stars and moon above.
  • When we see the building from the above, it was looking so graceful.
  • You can send this letter to the address written above.
  • This ad is displayed for the people above 40.
  • It is very hot today, as the temperature is above 45 degrees.
  • The water came up above his body.
  • When the plane got above the clouds, Aslam started to scream.
  • He won the race of 500 meters above sea level.
  • Akram is a tall, beautiful, and above all, a generous person.
  • You can complain about this to the officer above.

What is Over?

Over means something at a higher position than others. We also use the word over to point out the reason for attention and conversation. Over is also used to talk about the control, or to cover something. It gives the meanings of increasing to a specific boundary or point. Over also comes when someone feels better after the illness or worry. Over is used in the meaning of handling or teaching someone something. Frequently, we also use it to discuss a calculation where a number is divided by another number. Over is also used as a prefix. Over is used to talk about the completion of something. Over point out the measurement of a thing at an advanced place from one side to another. Over is also used to talk about the movement through a surface. Over helps to understand the increasing periods.

Examples

  • A shirt is hanging over the hook.
  • Over four centuries, there are minor modifications in this pattern.
  • What is he doing over this winter vacation?
  • He climbed over the tree.
  • We should value education over wealth.
  • Aliya leaned over to see what Iqra is doing.
  • He left over to make room for us.
  • Would he come over here for one day?
  • The book you have handed over to me.
  • He has been working for over two hours.
  • Over 100 children participated in this function.
  • I could hardly hear the voice of the teacher over the noise of the class.
  • He jumped over the obstacles.
  • The mother leaned over the child and kissed him.
  • He fell over the dead body of his grandfather.
  • She put a blanket over her.
  • He gets over seventy messages in a day.
  • He worked in this company for over twelve years.
  • The mother put a little scarf across the neck of her child girl.
  • A Sindhi woman was walking gracefully with a jar over her head.
  • The principal came to look over the school.
  • A ship came over the sea and reached on the island.
  • They went over the footpath to see the dead body.
  • A little sparrow was flying over the pond.
  • He put a hander kerchief over his head to secure himself from the sunny day.
Conclusion

Above and over both as a preposition means 'at or to a place greater than someone or something.' When we deeply learn, we came to know that the above is less common than over.