hover
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hover¹
- /ˈhɒvə/ UK
- /ˈhʌvə/ UK
- /ˈhʌvɚ/ Canada, US
- /ˈhɑvɚ/ Canada, US
- /ˈhɔvə/ Australia
- /ˈhavə/ Australia
Rhymes with -ɒvə(ɹ), -ʌvə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
The verb is derived from Middle English hoveren (“to float in the air, hover; to stay”), probably from hoven (“hover; of a bird: to fly high in the air, soar”) (which it displaced) + -er- (frequentative suffix). Hoven is probably derived from Old English *hōfian, from hōfon, the plural past indicative form of hebban (“to lift, raise”), from Proto-West Germanic *habbjan, from Proto-Germanic *habjaną (“to lift; to heave”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *keh₂p- (“to hold, seize”). The English word is analysable as hove (“(obsolete) to remain suspended, float, hover; to linger, wait”) + -er (frequentative suffix).
The noun is derived from the verb.
verb hovers · hovering · hovered · hover
- To keep (something, such as an aircraft) in a stationary state in the air.
- Of a bird: to shelter (chicks) under its body and wings; (by extension) of a thing: to cover or surround (something). Castration has a ſtrange effect: it emaſculates both man, beaſt, and bird, and brings them to a near reſemblance of the other ſex. […] Capons have ſmall combs and gills, and look pallid about the head, like pullets; they alſo vvalk vvithout any parade, and hover chickens like hens.
- Of a bird or insect: to flap (its wings) so it can remain stationary in the air. O'er the deer Corps ſomtimes her vvings ſhe [an eagle] hovers, / Somtimes the dead breſt vvith her breſt ſhe covers, […]
- To remain stationary or float in the air. The hummingbird hovered by the plant.
-
Sometimes followed by over: to hang around or linger in a place, especially in an uncertain manner.
His pen hovered above the paper.
Similar: wasp around
- To be indecisive or uncertain; to vacillate, to waver. Filling in the voting form, I hovered between Labour and Liberal Democrat.
- Chiefly followed by over: to use a mouse or other device to place a cursor over something on a screen such as a hyperlink or icon without clicking, so as to produce a result (such as the appearance of a tooltip). A tooltip appears when you hover over this link.
- To travel in a hovercraft as it moves above a water surface.
noun hovers
- 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.
- An act, or the state, of being suspended; a suspension.
- 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. Oyſters grevv vpon boughs of trees (an Indian miracle) vvhich vvere caſt in [the pond] thither, to ſerue as a houer for the fiſh.
Hover²
proper noun
- A surname.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: levitate, loom, bulk large, linger, vacillate, brood, flying, move, pass, place, displacement, scroll, navigate, thread, activate, float
Translations
Every language
verb to keep (something, such as an aircraft) in a stationary state in the air
| Deutsch | schwebend halten |
|---|---|
| Italiano | librarsi |
verb of a bird: to shelter (chicks) under its body and wings
| Deutsch | behüten |
|---|
verb to remain stationary or float in the air
| Español | cernerse, levitar, revolotear, revoletear |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 翱翔 áoxiáng, 高飛 /高飞 gāofēi, 懸停 /悬停 xuántíng, 㝼 yū |
| Português | pairar |
| Français | éventiller, planer |
| Deutsch | rütteln, schweben, stillstehen (in der Luft) |
| Italiano | volteggiare |
| Ελληνικά | αιωρούμαι aioroúmai, αλαφροζυγιάζομαι alafrozygiázomai |
| Română | pluti |
| Русский | нависа́ть navisátʹ, пари́ть parítʹ, порха́ть porxátʹ, ре́ять réjatʹ, вита́ть vitátʹ, ви́ться vítʹsja |
| Tiếng Việt | lượn |
| العربية | حَامَ ḥāma |
| עברית | רִחֵף rikhéf |
verb to hang around or linger in a place, especially in an uncertain manner
| Español | rondar |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 맴돌다 maemdolda |
| 日本語 | 揉み合う momiau |
| 中文 | 彽徊 dīhuái, 盤旋 /盘旋 pánxuán, 縈繞 /萦绕 yíngrào |
| Português | voltear |
| Français | faire du sur-place |
| Deutsch | verweilen, rumhängen |
| Italiano | aggirarsi, attardarsi, gironzolare, indugiare, ronzàre, ronzare intorno |
| Русский | болта́ться boltátʹsja, ме́шкать méškatʹ, слоня́ться slonjátʹsja, верте́ться vertétʹsja |
| Tiếng Việt | luẩn quẩn, chờn vờn |
verb to be indecisive or uncertain — see also vacillate, waver, doubt, hesitate
| Português | hesitar, vacilar |
|---|---|
| Français | hésiter |
| Deutsch | zögern, unsicher sein |
| Italiano | esitare, essere in bilico, essere indeciso, essere sospeso, pencolare |
| Ελληνικά | αιωρούμαι aioroúmai |
| Română | oscila |
| Русский | колеба́ться kolebátʹsja |
verb to use a mouse or other device to place a cursor over (something on a screen) without clicking, so as to produce a result
| Español | colocar el puntero sobre |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 懸停 /悬停 xuántíng |
| Deutsch | bewegen, fahren (with über), positionieren |
| Italiano | passare il cursore sopra |
| Română | plasa cursorul peste link |
| Tiếng Việt | rê chuột, rê con trỏ |
verb to travel in a hovercraft as it moves above a water surface
| Deutsch | schweben (entlang, über) |
|---|
noun act, or the state, of remaining stationary in the air or some other place
| Deutsch | Schwebezustand |
|---|
noun flock of birds fluttering in the air in one place
| Deutsch | Auffliegen (Geflügel) |
|---|
noun overhanging bank or stone under which fish can shelter
| Deutsch | Versteck (hinter Steinen) |
|---|
Talk about this word "hover." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/hover. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. hover. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/hover "hover." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/hover.Cite this
@misc{hover_2026,
title = {hover},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/hover},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
