Distinguishing Above & Over

Above vs. Over

Over and above are two words that can be confusing in terms of their usage due to the lack of understanding of the difference between above and over. Although both words can be used to mean ‘higher than,’ there are distinct differences in their usage. Both words can be used as prepositions and adverbs. The word above originates from the Old English word “abufan,” while over comes from the Old English word “ofer.”

What does Above mean?

The word above can be used to mean ‘higher than.’ For example, “The water came up above our knees.” This sentence means that the water level rose over these people’s knees, which is conveyed by using the preposition above. Additionally, the word above can be used to express measurements in terms of height or vertically up and down a scale, such as in the sentences “His body temperature went above normal” and “Francis is above average in studies.”

What does Over mean?

Like above, the word over can also be used to mean ‘higher than,’ as in the sentence “The water came up over our knees.” This sentence is also correct. The main difference between the usage of above and over is that you should use the word ‘over’ if you want to convey a sense of ‘covering’ or ‘crossing,’ as in the sentences “The plane was flying over Sydney” and “You can see rain-bearing clouds over the mountain.” Furthermore, if you want to express numbers, you should use the word over, as in the sentence “There are over one million people suffering from the dreaded disease.”

Key Takeaways

• Both above and over can be used to mean ‘higher than,’ but they have different usages.
• The word above is used to express measurements in terms of height or vertically up and down a scale.
• The word over is used to convey a sense of ‘covering’ or ‘crossing’ and to express numbers.