/ əˈbʌv; NAmE / preposition , adverb , adjective
■ preposition
1.
at or to a higher place or position than sth/sb :
The water came above our knees.
We were flying above the clouds.
the people in the apartment above mine
A captain in the navy ranks above a captain in the army.
They finished the year six places above their local rivals.
2.
more than sth; greater in number, level or age than sb/sth :
Inflation is above 6%.
Temperatures have been above average.
We cannot accept children above the age of 10.
3.
of greater importance or of higher quality than sb/sth :
I rate her above most other players of her age.
4.
too good or too honest to do sth :
She's not above lying when it suits her.
He's above suspicion (= he is completely trusted) .
5.
( of a sound ) louder or clearer than another sound :
I couldn't hear her above the noise of the traffic.
•
IDIOMS
- above all
- above yourself
—more at over preposition
■ adverb
1.
at or to a higher place :
Put it on the shelf above.
Seen from above the cars looked tiny.
They were acting on instructions from above (= from sb in a higher position of authority) .
2.
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
3.
earlier in sth written or printed :
As was stated above ...
See above, page 97.
■ adjective
[ only before noun ] mentioned or printed previously in a letter, book, etc. :
Please write to us at the above address.
► the above noun [ sing.+ sing./pl. v . ]:
Please notify us if the above is not correct.
All the above (= people mentioned above) have passed the exam.
••
WHICH WORD
above / over
Above and over can both be used to describe a position higher than something:
They built a new room above / over the garage.
When you are talking about movement from one side of something to the other, you can only use over :
They jumped over the stream
. Over can also mean 'covering':
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 is used with numbers, ages, money and time:
He's over 50.
•
It costs over £100.
•
We waited over 2 hours.
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English abufan (as an adverb), from a- on + bufan (from bi by + ufan above ).