overall
/ˌoʊ.vɚˈɔl/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: 4.90 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
3
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
adv
adv
noun
A garment worn over other clothing to protect it; a coverall or boiler suit. A garment, for manual labor or for casual wear, often made of a single piece of fabric, with long legs and a bib upper, supported from the shoulders with straps, and having several large pockets and loops for carrying tools.
British usage
Example Sentences
- "We believe also that a controlled economy cannot be understood without some overall view of the controlling institutions: hence our short studies — shorter by far than the original drafts — of the central administration."
- ""The cranium is clearly plesiomorphic in overall form, presenting primitive traits shared by earlier hominins," the authors wrote."
- "Overall, there is not enough evidence to form a clear conclusion."
- "While this new measure provided money for research, it also purported to cut spending overall."
- "The frozen foods side of the business overall saw a loss."
Etymology
From Middle English overall, overal, from Old English ofer eall, ofer ealle (“over all”), equivalent to over + all. Compare Saterland Frisian oural, uural (“everywhere”), West Frisian oeral (“everywhere”), Dutch overal (“everywhere”), German Low German overall, överall (“everywhere; all over”), German überall (“all over; everywhere”), Danish overalt (“everywhere”), Swedish överallt (“everywhere; overall”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌoʊ.vɚˈɔl/
- British English: /ˌəʊ.vəˈɹɔːl/