overboard

adverb

over·​board ˈō-vər-ˌbȯrd How to pronounce overboard (audio)
1
: over the side of a ship or boat into the water
2
: to extremes of enthusiasm
3
: into discard : aside

Examples of overboard in a Sentence

He threw the fish overboard. The boy fell overboard and almost drowned. One of the sailors fell into the water, and someone shouted “Man overboard!”.
Recent Examples on the Web The Internet took it way overboard on Tom Sandoval, in my opinion. Krystie Lee Yandoli, Rolling Stone, 20 Feb. 2024 Forgive us for going perhaps a trifle overboard in terms of attention, but this isn't just a bunch of inordinately large men leaning on each other while some smaller guys scurry around them. Neal Rubin, Detroit Free Press, 23 Jan. 2024 But De Meo also made little effort to hide his scorn for Wall Street investors who first hyped EV manufacturers into the stratosphere, before rushing to dump them overboard. Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 30 Jan. 2024 Those figures might seem a bit overboard (no pun intended) but not in remote locations where the nearest hospital isn’t equipped to treat a serious medical event. Paula Conway, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2023 Two Navy SEALs were declared dead last week after one fell overboard and the other dived in to try to save him. Peter Baker, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2024 Rhodes' wife lost her balance and fell overboard during a late evening boat ride. Harold Maass, The Week Us, theweek, 18 Jan. 2024 The ship's captain informed fellow passengers that a passenger had fallen overboard, passenger Jake Utzinger told the paper. Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 26 Dec. 2023 This time around, the concept is a bit more overboard: a meatball the size of a Thanksgiving turkey. Christianna Silva, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'overboard.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of overboard was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near overboard

Cite this Entry

“Overboard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overboard. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

overboard

adverb
over·​board ˈō-vər-ˌbō(ə)rd How to pronounce overboard (audio)
-ˌbȯ(ə)rd
1
: over the side of a ship into the water
2
: to extremes of enthusiasm
go overboard for a new fad

More from Merriam-Webster on overboard

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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