Dictionary Entry
overall
Part of SpeechnounPronunciation/oh-ver-awl/Word FrequencyCommon (5.82)Curriculum FrequencyLess common (1)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.
In a Sentence
“The essay uses overall to make the point more precise.”
Published Usage Examples
“But she stood by what she called her "overall thesis" about Limbaugh—that he uses racially charged rhetoric about Obama—and played several recent clips of the talk show host to prove her point.”
“The Israeli leader said while there are differences "here and there," there is what he called an overall direction for the U.S. and Israel to pursue what he called a "peace that is defensible" between Israel and Palestinians.”
This entry also appears in ReadingWillow Year 10 word lists, so students can move between the dictionary and year-level study sets.
Origin
From Middle English 'ofer eall' meaning 'over all'.
Common Phrases
Related Words
Poetry examples for “overall”
Excerpts from the ReadingWillow English Library collection.
Poetry examples are still being gathered for this entry. They will appear here once matching poems are available in the library.
