hover

[ huhv-er, hov- ]
See synonyms for: hoverhoveredhovering on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)
  1. to hang fluttering or suspended in the air: The helicopter hovered over the building.

  2. to keep lingering about; wait near at hand.

  1. to remain in an uncertain or irresolute state; waver: to hover between life and death.

  2. Computers. to place a pointer over an area of a screen without clicking or tapping, as with a mouse or stylus: Hover over the icon to reveal more information.

verb (used with object)
  1. to cause to hover.

  2. Computers. to place (a pointer) over an area of a screen without clicking or tapping.

noun
  1. the act or state of hovering.

Origin of hover

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English hoveren, frequentative of hoven “to hover,” of obscure origin

synonym study For hover

1. See fly2.

Other words for hover

Other words from hover

  • hov·er·er, noun
  • hov·er·ing·ly, adverb

Words Nearby hover

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use hover in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hover

hover

/ (ˈhɒvə) /


verb
  1. (intr) to remain suspended in one place

  2. (intr) (of certain birds, esp hawks) to remain in one place in the air by rapidly beating the wings

  1. (intr) to linger uncertainly in a nervous or solicitous way

  2. (intr) to be in a state of indecision: she was hovering between the two suitors

  3. (tr) computing to hold (the mouse pointer) over a defined area on a web page without clicking, in order to cause a menu, information box, etc to appear

noun
  1. the act of hovering

Origin of hover

1
C14: hoveren, variant of hoven, of obscure origin

Derived forms of hover

  • hoverer, noun
  • hoveringly, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012