ABOVE


Meaning of ABOVE in English

/ 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 ).

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.