above and over

‘higher than’: above or over

Above and over can both mean ‘higher than’. Above is more common with this meaning.

• The water came up above/over our knees.
• Can you see the helicopter above/over the palace?

‘not directly over’: above

We use above when one thing is not directly over another.

• We’ve got a little house above the lake. (not … over the lake.)

‘covering’: over

We prefer over when one thing covers and/or touches another.

• There is cloud over the South of England.
• He put on a coat over his pyjamas.

We use over or across (see here) when one thing crosses another.

• The plane was flying over/across Denmark.
• Electricity cables stretch over/across the fields.

Measurements: above

Above is used in measurements of temperature and height, and in other cases where we think of a vertical scale.

• The temperature is three degrees above zero.
• The summit of Everest is about 8000 metres above sea level.
• She’s well above average in intelligence.

Ages, speeds, ‘more than’: over

We usually use over, not above, to talk about ages and speeds, and to mean ‘more than’.

• You have to be over 18 to see this film.
• The police said she was driving at over 110mph.
• There were over 100,000 people at the festival.

Books and papers

In a book or paper, above means ‘earlier on the page’ or ‘on an earlier page’.

• The above rules and regulations apply to all students.
• For prices and delivery charges, see above.
• Our village is just above Cardiff on the map.

See over means ‘look on the next page’.

• There are cheap flights at weekends: see over.

note

The difference between below and under is similar. (see here)

For other meanings of these words, see a good dictionary.