Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Located or originating from above: Refers to something positioned higher than the head or coming from a higher position.
   • Operating or situated above a certain level: Often used for systems or structures that are elevated.

2. Adverb:

   • Above the head; over the head: Indicates a position directly above.
   • In the sky; above: Refers to something happening or located in the air above.

3. Noun:

   • A stroke in sports: In tennis or badminton, a hard return hit with the arm above the head.
   • The top surface of an enclosed space: On a ship, the ceiling of a cabin or compartment.
   • A transparency for projection: A sheet of film used with an overhead projector to display images.
   • Computing resource consumption: The disk space or processing time required by a system for non-data tasks like management and control.
   • Business operating expenses: The ongoing costs of running a business, such as rent, utilities, and insurance, not directly tied to producing a specific product.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • The office has overhead lighting. (The lighting is fixed to the ceiling.)
  • We store supplies on the overhead shelf. (The shelf is above head level.)

• Adverb:

  • The gymnast held her legs together overhead. (She held her legs above her head.)
  • We heard a plane flying overhead. (A plane was flying in the sky above us.)

• Noun:

  • She won the point with a powerful overhead. (She hit a winning shot from above her head in tennis.)
  • The teacher placed a diagram on the overhead. (She used a transparency on the projector.)
  • High rent increases our overhead. (The cost of renting the space is a major operating expense.)
  • System overhead can slow down the computer. (The processing time for system tasks affects performance.)

Advanced Usage

• "Overhead costs/expenses": The fixed, regular expenses required to operate a business.

  • Reducing overhead is key to improving profit margins.

• "Overhead projector": A device that projects images from transparencies onto a screen.

  • The presentation was made using an overhead projector.

• "Computational/System overhead": The extra resources a computer system uses for tasks other than the primary computation.

  • This encryption software has minimal overhead.

Variants and Related Words

• Overheads (n, plural): Commonly used in British English to mean operating expenses.
  • The company's overheads are too high.

Synonyms

• Adjective/Adverb: Above, aloft, elevated, upper.
• Noun (Expenses): Operating costs, fixed costs, indirect costs, burden.
• Noun (Stroke): Smash (in tennis/badminton).

Related Phrases (Phrasal Verbs)

(Note: "Overhead" is not typically used to form phrasal verbs. The following are related verb phrases.) - To keep overheads down: To manage and reduce operating expenses. - We work from home to keep overheads down.

Related Idioms

• A cloud overhead: Literally, a cloud in the sky; figuratively, a looming problem or worry.
  • The threat of layoffs was a cloud overhead for the staff.
• To be/come overhead: To be or become the dominant issue or primary concern.
  • For the project manager, the budget is overhead right now. (This usage is less common and more contextual.)

Adjective

1. located or originating from above
   • an overhead crossing

Adverb

1. above the head; over the head
   • bring the legs together overhead
2. above your head; in the sky
   • planes were flying overhead

Noun

1. a hard return hitting the tennis ball above your head
2. (nautical) the top surface of an enclosed space on a ship
3. a transparency for use with an overhead projector
4. (computer science) the disk space required for information that is not data but is used for location and timing
5. (computer science) the processing time required by a device prior to the execution of a command
6. the expense of maintaining property (e.g., paying property taxes and utilities and insurance); it does not include depreciation or the cost of financing or income taxes