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Synonyms

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.

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

Melania delivers voice-over narration as she goes from event to event and discusses her philanthropic platform, Be Best.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 31, 2026

Composed of original footage and the director’s conversational voice-over, “Zodiac Killer Project” is the chalk outline of his missing and presumed dead documentary.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 5, 2025

“I had to reconstruct the voice-over to move the point of view from one character to another.”

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 3, 2025

A voice-over kicks in atop footage of the girl doing perfectly normal human things, like, walking and eating.

From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy

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.