overboard

adverb

over·​board ˈō-vər-ˌbȯrd 

1

: over the side of a ship or boat into the water

2

: to extremes of enthusiasm

3

: into discard : aside

Examples of overboard in a Sentence

He threw the fish overboard.

The boy fell overboard and almost drowned.

One of the sailors fell into the water, and someone shouted “Man overboard!”.

Recent Examples on the Web

Her pleasant trip, however, is interrupted when Lo witnesses a woman being thrown overboard — only to wake up the next morning and learn that all of the ship’s passengers are accounted for. —Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 30 Dec. 2024

Two other boys had been thrown overboard after dying. —Adam Ferguson, New York Times, 28 Dec. 2024

Police are trying to verify the witness’ account but are yet to find Eastman’s body, which the witness said was thrown overboard. —Chris Lau, CNN, 6 Dec. 2024

Drugs being thrown overboard, since they are located so close to the Mexican border, agricultural runoff, or human wastewater could also be sources of the chemicals, Orbach said. —Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 6 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing overboard

• go overboard
• wash overboard

Kids Definition

overboard

adverb

over·​board ˈō-vər-ˌbō(ə)rd 

-ˌbȯ(ə)rd

1

: over the side of a ship into the water

2

: to extremes of enthusiasm

go overboard for a new fad