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voice-over

American  
[vois-oh-ver] / ˈvɔɪsˌoʊ vər /

noun

Movies, Television.

  1. the voice of an offscreen narrator, announcer, or the like.

  2. a televised sequence, as in a commercial, using such a voice.

  3. any offscreen voice, as that of a character in a narrative.

voice-over British  

noun

  1. the voice of an unseen commentator heard during a film, television programme, etc

"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

Etymology

Origin of voice-over

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Faison: When we did the table read, I laughed so hard when the first voice-over kicked in, when Zach read the voice-over.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 20, 2026

She went on to do background and voice-over work in Los Angeles way into her 70s.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 17, 2026

“Death comes for us all,” Magneto says in the voice-over.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 6, 2026

To clone their voices, No ID had them read a standardized voice-over script to capture tone, dictation and voice characteristics.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 30, 2025

She watched an elderly woman stumble, fall, fumble for the transmitter around her neck, and Barbra Pierce’s voice-over echoed in her mind.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.