English dictionary — definitions & meanings

outsiders

noun

People who do not belong to a particular group, community, or place.

outsized

adj

Of an unusually large size.

outskirts

noun

The outer areas of a town or city, away from its center.

outsleep

verb

To sleep longer than or beyond.

outsmart

verb

To defeat someone by being cleverer or more cunning.

outsource

verb

To pay an outside company or individual to do work that your own organisation would otherwise do itself, such as IT support, payroll, manufacturing or customer service.

outsourcing

noun

The practice of paying an outside company to handle work that could be done in-house.

outspeak

verb

To surpass in speaking; say or express more than; signify or claim superiority to; be superior to in meaning or significance; speak louder than.

outspoken

adj

Direct and honest in expressing opinions, even if controversial.

outspokenness

noun

The quality of being outspoken.

outstanding

adj

Exceptionally good; far better than average.

outstation

noun

A station or post in a remote position; an outpost.

outstep

verb

To step or go beyond; exceed; overstep.

outstretched

adj

Extended or reached out, especially an arm or hand.

outstrip

verb

To move more quickly than (someone or something) so as to outrun or leave it behind.

outta

prep

An informal spelling of "out of," used to reflect casual speech.

outvie

verb

To outdo a competitor or rival.

outward

adj

Relating to the outside or exterior; visible on the surface.

outwardly

adv

On the surface or in appearance, as opposed to internally.

outwards

adv

In a direction away from the center; toward the outside.

outwear

verb

To outlast; to survive longer than: to outlive.

outweigh

verb

To be more important, significant, or valuable than something else.

outwit

verb

To beat someone by being cleverer than them.

outwith

prep

Outside of; beyond.

Ouyang

name

A Chinese surname, from Mandarin Ouyang.

ouzel

noun

A Eurasian blackbird (Turdus merula).

ouzo

noun

A clear, anise-flavoured Greek liqueur, usually drunk as an aperitif.

oval

noun

A rounded, elongated shape like an egg or a flattened circle.

ovalbumin

noun

A glycoprotein which is the primary constituent of egg white.

ovaline

adj

Synonym of oval: having an elongated round shape.

ovarian

adj

Relating to the ovaries.

ovaries

noun

Synonym of balls (“courage”) (said of women)

ovary

noun

A reproductive organ in females that produces eggs and, in mammals, hormones such as estrogen.

ovate

adj

Shaped like an egg.

ovation

noun

Loud, sustained applause given in appreciation of something.

oven

noun

An enclosed chamber used for baking, roasting, or heating food.

Ovens

name

An English surname, an occupational name for a baker.

over

adj

Finished; ended.

over the counter

adjective

Of a medicine, sold legally without a prescription, so that any customer can buy it directly from a pharmacy or shop.

over the top

adjective

Excessive to the point of being ridiculous — far more dramatic, elaborate or extreme than the situation calls for.

overabundance

noun

An excess of what is needed or is appropriate.

overactive

adj

More active than is normal or healthy.

overage

adj

Having an age that is greater than a stipulated minimum.

overall

adj

Taking everything into account; general.

overalls

noun

A loose garment worn over normal clothing to protect it during dirty or heavy work.

overappraisal

noun

An appraisal that overvalues something.

overarching

adjective

Covering or applying to everything else, and more important than the individual parts. It describes the single aim, principle or framework that all the smaller elements sit beneath.

overbalance

verb

To be more important than; to outweigh.

overbear

verb

To carry over.

overbearing

adj

Excessively controlling, bossy, or forceful in manner.

overblown

adj

Exaggerated or given far more importance than it deserves.

overboard

adv

Over the side of a boat and into the water.

overboarded

adj

Present on too many boards of directors.

overboarding

noun

The situation in which a director sits on too many boards of directors.

overbooked

adj

Having sold more seats, rooms, or reservations than are actually available.

overbreathing

noun

Hyperventilation.

overburden

noun

The rock and subsoil that lies above a mineral deposit such as a coal seam, or any other underground feature.

overcast

noun

A sky completely covered by cloud.

overcharge

verb

To charge (somebody) more money than the correct amount or to surpass a certain limit while charging a bill.

overclock

verb

To make a processor, graphics chip or memory run faster than the speed its manufacturer rated it for, usually by changing settings in a computer's firmware or a tuning program.

overclothed

adj

Wearing too many clothes.

overcoat

noun

A heavy coat worn over other clothing for warmth outdoors.

overcoating

noun

cloth for making overcoats

overcome

verb

To successfully deal with or defeat a difficulty or obstacle.

overcoming

noun

The act of successfully dealing with or defeating a difficulty.

overconfident

adj

Excessively sure of oneself, often to the point of being careless or arrogant.

overcooked

adj

Cooked for too long, making the food dry, tough, or unpleasant.

overcrowded

adj

Containing far more people or things than there is comfortable room for.

overcrowding

noun

A situation in which a space holds far more people or things than it comfortably can.

overdear

adj

Too dear; too highly valued.

overdo

verb

To do something to an excessive or unwise degree.

overdoing

noun

Excessive or unwise activity; doing too much.

overdone

adj

Cooked for too long.

overdose

noun

A dangerously excessive dose of a drug or medicine.

overdraft

noun

The act of withdrawing more money from a bank account than it holds.

overdraw

verb

To withdraw more money from an account than there is credit; to make an overdraft

overdrawn

adj

Portrayed in an overstated or exaggerated manner.

overdressed

adj

Wearing clothing that is too formal, elaborate, or heavy for the occasion.

overdrive

noun

A high gear in a vehicle that reduces engine speed at higher road speeds, improving fuel economy.

overdub

verb

To record a part along with an already recorded part or parts.

overdue

adj

Later than expected or scheduled; past the point at which something should have happened.

overeat

verb

To eat too much.

overeating

noun

Gluttony, the act of eating to excess.

overestimate

verb

To judge or guess that something is larger, better, or more significant than it really is.

overestimation

noun

The act of overestimating.

overexcited

adj

Excessively excited, often to the point of losing composure.

overexert

verb

To exert (oneself) to an excessive degree.

overextended

adj

Stretched or expanded beyond a safe or sustainable limit.

overfeatured

adj

Having too many features.

overflight

noun

The flight of an aircraft over a particular place; used especially to refer to a flight over foreign or enemy territory.

overflow

noun

Liquid or material that spills over because there is too much of it.

overflowing

noun

The act of spilling past a limit; an overflow.

overfly

verb

To fly over something.

overfull

adj

excessively filled; full to overflowing

overgo

verb

To cross, go over (a barrier etc.); to surmount.

overgrown

adj

Covered with plants that have grown wild and unchecked.

overhand

adj

Executed with the hand brought forward and down from above the shoulders.

overhang

verb

To hang over (something).

overhanging

adj

Physically hanging over something.

overhaul

noun

A thorough repair, renovation, or revision of something.

overhauling

noun

The act by which something is overhauled.

overhead

adj

Positioned above, especially above one's head.

overhear

verb

To hear something by chance that was not meant for one's ears.

overhearing

noun

The act of catching a conversation you were not meant to be part of.

overheat

verb

To heat something, or for something, well past a safe or normal level.

overheated

adj

Heated to an unsafe or uncomfortable degree.

overheating

noun

The state of having become dangerously or excessively hot.

overhope

noun

Excessive hope or anticipation; presumption.

overhyped

adj

That has been promoted or publicized excessively.

overindulge

verb

To have too much of something enjoyable, especially food or alcohol.

overindulgence

noun

An act of overindulging; indulgence in too much; pleasure or consumption taken in excess of what is satisfying or necessary.

overjoyed

adj

Extremely happy or delighted.

overjoyous

adj

Extremely happy or celebratory; overjoyed.

overkill

noun

Far more force, effort, or resources than a situation actually calls for.

overland

adj

Travelling by, or crossing, land rather than sea or air.

overlap

verb

To extend over part of something else, partly covering it.

overlapping

adj

Partly covering, coinciding with, or sharing something else.

overlarge

adj

Excessively large; too big; oversize.

overlay

verb

To lay or spread one thing over another.

overlayer

noun

A layer of adatoms adsorbed onto a surface, as onto the surface of a single crystal.

overleap

verb

To leap over, to jump over, to cross by jumping.

overlie

verb

To lie over or upon

overload

verb

To load something with more than it can safely or properly handle.

overloaded

adj

Carrying or holding more than it should.

overloading

noun

In programming, giving several functions or operators the same name, distinguished by the type of data they take.

overlook

verb

To fail to notice something, or to miss it despite it being there.

overlooked

adj

Not noticed or given the attention it deserves.

overlord

noun

A ruler who holds power over other rulers or lower authorities.

overly

adv

To an excessive or unnecessary degree.

overman

noun

A person who supervises others; a supervisor, especially in a mine.

overmaster

verb

To overpower or overwhelm.

overmatch

verb

To match more than intended.

overmuch

det

Very much; too much; overly much.

overnight

adv

Throughout the night, or during the course of one night.

overpass

noun

A bridge that carries one road or path over another.

overplus

noun

That which remains beyond what is necessary or required; a surplus.

overpoise

noun

That which outweighs; excessive weight.

overpopulation

noun

A situation where an area has more people, animals, or organisms than it can properly support.

overpower

verb

To defeat or subdue someone using greater strength or force.

overpowered

adj

Defeated by superior strength or force.

overpowering

adj

So strong or intense that it becomes hard to resist or ignore.

overpoweringly

adv

In an overpowering manner.

overpriced

adj

Priced higher than the item is actually worth.

overprotective

adj

Excessively concerned with protecting someone, to an unhelpful or restrictive degree.

overqualified

adj

Having far more skills or qualifications than a job requires.

overquantity

noun

An excessive quantity; surplus.

overrate

verb

To esteem too highly; to give greater praise than due.

overrated

adj

Praised or valued more highly than it actually deserves.

overreach

verb

To reach above or beyond, especially to an excessive degree.

overreact

verb

To respond to something with far more emotion or force than the situation calls for.