- at or to a higher place
- Put it on the shelf above.
- Seen from above the cars looked tiny.
- I could hear somebody calling out my name from up above.
- They were acting on instructions from above (= from somebody in a higher position of authority).
- greater in number, level or age
- increases of 5% and above
- A score of 70 or above will get you an ‘A’.
- children aged 12 and above
Which Word? above / overabove / over- Above and over can both be used to describe a position higher than something:
- They built a new room above/over the garage.
- They jumped over the stream.
- He put a blanket over the sleeping child.
- Above and over can also mean ‘more than’. Above is used in relation to a minimum level or a fixed point:
- 2 000 feet above sea level
- Temperatures will not rise above zero tonight.
- over 3 million copies sold
- He’s over 50.
- It costs over £100.
- We waited over 2 hours.
- earlier in something written or printed
- As was stated above…
- See above, page 97.
- My client is the mother of the two above-named children.
Word OriginOld English abufan (as an adverb), from a- ‘on’ + bufan (from bi ‘by’ + ufan ‘above’).
Idioms
See above in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee above in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English(go) above and beyond (something)
- (informal) (to do) even more than is expected or demanded
- Our staff members will go above and beyond to ensure that our customers are satisfied.
Check pronunciation:
above