hover
verb · noun
Simple meaning
To remain stationary or float in the air.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
huhverSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈhʌvɚ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
intransitive
To remain stationary or float in the air.
Hang in the air; fly or be suspended above
transitive
To keep (something, such as an aircraft) in a stationary state in the air.
intransitivefiguratively
Sometimes followed by over: to hang around or linger in a place, especially in an uncertain manner.
intransitivefiguratively
To be indecisive or uncertain; to vacillate, to waver.
transitive
Of a bird: to shelter (chicks) under its body and wings; (by extension) of a thing: to cover or surround (something).
noun
An act, or the state, of remaining stationary in the air or some other place.
A flock of birds fluttering in the air in one place.
chiefly southern england
A cover; a protection; a shelter; specifically, an overhanging bank or stone under which fish can shelter; also, a shelter for hens brooding their eggs.
figuratively
An act, or the state, of being suspended; a suspension.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To remain stationary or float in the air.
Used this way, hover is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Nearby words
- levitate , rarer, so it draws attention
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.