Overboard

//ˈəʊvə(ɹ)ˌbɔː(ɹ)d// adj, adv, verb

adj, adv, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To throw over the edge of a boat into the water. transitive

    "‘Call home that runt Edmund Bonner. He has trotted after me from Spain into France and I swear the next time we take ship I will overboard him.’"

  2. 2
    To cover (a ceiling) with plasterboard to create a new surface. transitive
Adjective
  1. 1
    Outside of a boat; in the water. not-comparable
Adverb
  1. 1
    Over the edge; especially, off or outside of a boat. not-comparable

    "It was their practice to throw the scraps overboard."

  2. 2
    Excessively; too much. not-comparable

    "They really went overboard with the party preparations."

Adverb
  1. 1
    from on board a vessel into the water wordnet
  2. 2
    to extremes wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
excessiveexorbitant

Example

More examples

"He's given to going overboard every time he gets a new idea."

Etymology

From Middle English overbord, overborde, equivalent to over- + board.

Related phrases

go overboardman overboardthrow overboardwoman overboard

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.