Standard Lemma guide

overall

adj · adv · noun · 9 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˌəʊ.vəˈɹɔːl/
  • US: /ˌoʊ.vɚˈɔl/
  • cot-caught-merger, dialectal: /ˌoʊ.vɚˈɑl/ of Canada
  • Canada, dialectal: /ˌoʊ.vɚˈɒl/ of the US
  • rhymes with -ɔːl
  • UK: /ˈəʊ.və.ɹɔːl/
  • UK: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: /ˈoʊ.vɚ.ɔl/
  • cot-caught-merger, dialectal: /ˈoʊ.vɚ.ɑl/ of Canada
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Canada, dialectal: /ˈoʊ.vɚ.ɒl/ of the US
  • CMU ARPABET: OW1 V ER0 AO2 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

All-encompassing, all around.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adv

Meaning 2

Generally; in general.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • Overall, there is not enough evidence to form a clear conclusion.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adv

Meaning 3

Considering or taking into account everything.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • The frozen foods side of the business overall saw a loss.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

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.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: UK

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A garment, worn for manual labor, with an integral covering extending to the chest, supported by straps.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, in-plural

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adjective satellite

Meaning 6

involving only main features

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the overall pattern of his life

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

adjective satellite

Meaning 7

including everything

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the overall cost

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

(usually plural) work clothing consisting of denim trousers (usually with a bib and shoulder straps)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: work-clothing, work-clothes

9

noun

Meaning 9

a loose protective coverall or smock worn over ordinary clothing for dirty work

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: boilersuit, boilers suit

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: coverall

History

Etymology

From Middle English overall, overal, from Old English ofer eall, ofer ealle (“over all”), equivalent to over + all. Compare Saterland Frisian oural, uural (“everywhere”), West Frisian oeral (“everywhere”), Dutch overal (“everywhere”), German Low German overall, överall (“everywhere; all over”), German überall (“all over; everywhere”), Danish overalt (“everywhere”), Swedish överallt (“everywhere; overall”).

Across languages

Translations

115 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: общ (obšt) — all-encompassing
  • Bulgarian: всеобхватен (vseobhvaten) — all-encompassing
  • Chinese Mandarin: 全面的 (quánmiàn de) — all-encompassing
  • Chinese Mandarin: 綜合的 /综合的 (zōnghé de) — all-encompassing
  • Czech: celkový — all-encompassing
  • Dutch: globaal — all-encompassing
  • Finnish: kokonais- — all-encompassing
  • Finnish: kokonaisvaltainen — all-encompassing
  • Finnish: kaikenkattava — all-encompassing
  • French: global — all-encompassing
  • French: total — all-encompassing
  • German: Gesamt- — all-encompassing
  • Hungarian: átfogó — all-encompassing
  • Hungarian: teljes — all-encompassing
  • Hungarian: össz- — all-encompassing
  • Italian: complessivo — all-encompassing
  • Italian: globale — all-encompassing
  • Italian: generale — all-encompassing
  • Malayalam: മൊത്തത്തിലുള്ള (mottattiluḷḷa) — all-encompassing
  • Norwegian Bokmål: helhetlig — all-encompassing
  • Occitan: total — all-encompassing
  • Occitan: global — all-encompassing
  • Occitan: general — all-encompassing
  • Occitan: complet — all-encompassing
  • Portuguese: abrangente — all-encompassing
  • Portuguese: geral — all-encompassing
  • Russian: о́бщий (óbščij) — all-encompassing
  • Russian: всео́бщий (vseóbščij) — all-encompassing
  • Russian: по́лный (pólnyj) — all-encompassing
  • Russian: всеобъе́млющий (vseobʺjémljuščij) — all-encompassing
  • Spanish: en conjunto — all-encompassing
  • Swedish: övergripande — all-encompassing
  • Ukrainian: зага́льний (zahálʹnyj) — all-encompassing
  • Ukrainian: по́вний (póvnyj) — all-encompassing
  • Ukrainian: всеося́жний (vseosjážnyj) — all-encompassing
  • Azerbaijani: ümumilikdə — generally
  • Azerbaijani: ümumiyyətlə — generally
  • Azerbaijani: ümumiyyətcə — generally
  • Azerbaijani: ümumiliklə — generally
  • Azerbaijani: ümumən — generally
  • Bulgarian: изобщо (izobšto) — generally
  • Chinese Mandarin: 總地來說 /总地来说 (zǒng de láishuō) — generally
  • Chinese Mandarin: 大體上 /大体上 (dàtǐshang) — generally
  • Chinese Mandarin: 大致 (dàzhì) — generally
  • Dutch: over het algemeen — generally
  • Finnish: kaiken kaikkiaan — generally
  • Finnish: ylipäänsä — generally
  • French: en général — generally
  • French: globalement — generally
  • Galician: en xeral — generally
  • German: insgesamt — generally
  • German: alles zusammengenommen — generally
  • Hungarian: összesen — generally
  • Icelandic: í aðalatriðum — generally
  • Interlingua: supertoto — generally
  • Irish: tríd is tríd — generally
  • Italian: tutto sommato — generally
  • Italian: in generale — generally
  • Italian: complessivamente — generally
  • Italian: nell'insieme — generally
  • Latin: per totum — generally
  • Malayalam: മൊത്തത്തിൽ (mottattil) — generally
  • Portuguese: em geral — generally
  • Russian: в це́лом (v célom) — generally
  • Russian: в о́бщем и це́лом (v óbščem i célom) — generally
  • Russian: по́лностью (pólnostʹju) — generally
  • Spanish: resumidamente — generally
  • Spanish: al fin y al cabo — generally
  • Spanish: a fin de cuentas — generally
  • Spanish: en conjunto — generally
  • Spanish: todo sumado — generally
  • Spanish: omnímodamente — generally
  • Swedish: på det hela taget — generally
  • Tagalog: sa kabuoan — generally
  • Tagalog: sa pangkalahatan — generally
  • Ukrainian: загало́м (zahalóm) — generally
  • Ukrainian: в ціло́му (v cilómu) — generally
  • Bulgarian: прести́лка (prestílka) — protective garment worn over clothing
  • Bulgarian: рабо́тен комбинезо́н (rabóten kombinezón) — protective garment worn over clothing
  • Chinese Mandarin: 吊帶工裝褲 /吊带工装裤 (diàodài gōngzhuāngkù) — protective garment worn over clothing
  • Chinese Mandarin: 工裝褲 /工装裤 (gōngzhuāngkù) — protective garment worn over clothing
  • Chinese Mandarin: 吊帶褲 /吊带裤 (diàodàikù) — protective garment worn over clothing
  • Dutch: overall — protective garment worn over clothing
  • Esperanto: supertuto — protective garment worn over clothing
  • Finnish: haalarit — protective garment worn over clothing
  • French: blouse — protective garment worn over clothing
  • French: combinaison — protective garment worn over clothing
  • French: salopette — protective garment worn over clothing
  • German: Overall — protective garment worn over clothing
  • German: Latzhose — protective garment worn over clothing
  • Italian: blusa — protective garment worn over clothing
  • Italian: tuta da lavoro — protective garment worn over clothing
  • Japanese: オーバーオール (ōbāōru) — protective garment worn over clothing
  • Korean: 멜빵바지 (melppangbaji) — protective garment worn over clothing
  • Korean: 오버올 (obeool) — protective garment worn over clothing
  • Mongolian: халаад (xalaad) — protective garment worn over clothing
  • Norwegian Bokmål: snekkerbukse — protective garment worn over clothing
  • Norwegian Bokmål: overall — protective garment worn over clothing
  • Polish: kombinezon — protective garment worn over clothing
  • Portuguese: macacão — protective garment worn over clothing
  • Portuguese: jardineira — protective garment worn over clothing
  • Portuguese: jardineiras — protective garment worn over clothing
  • Portuguese: fato-macaco — protective garment worn over clothing
  • Portuguese: fato de macaco — protective garment worn over clothing
  • Russian: комбинезо́н (kombinezón) — protective garment worn over clothing
  • Spanish: braga — protective garment worn over clothing
  • Spanish: mono — protective garment worn over clothing
  • Spanish: overol — protective garment worn over clothing
  • Spanish: sobretodo — protective garment worn over clothing
  • Spanish: overalls — protective garment worn over clothing
  • Swahili: surupwenye — protective garment worn over clothing
  • Swedish: overall — protective garment worn over clothing
  • Ukrainian: спецо́дяг (specódjah) — protective garment worn over clothing
  • Ukrainian: комбінезо́н (kombinezón) — protective garment worn over clothing
  • Vietnamese: quần yếm — protective garment worn over clothing
Real reading context

overall in complete knowledge articles