How to use the word OVER in English?

The word over helps us talk about things that are on top or above something else.

Imagine you have a plate and some cookies. If you put the cookies on the plate, they’re just sitting there. But if you lift the plate up and hold it in front of your face, the cookies are now over your face, like they're floating above it! That’s what over means: something that is on top of or above another thing.

How over works with movement

If you’re sitting at a table and someone jumps up to grab a sandwich from the counter, they might say, “I’m going over there!”, meaning they're moving from where you are to the place where the sandwich is. It’s like when you go from one side of the room to the other.

Over can also mean "more than"

If you have 5 candies and I have 3, I might say, “You have over me!”, meaning you have more than I do. So over is not just about being on top, but also about having more or going to a different place.

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Examples

  1. The cat jumped over the fence.
  2. She looked over her shoulder.
  3. He put the book over there.

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