Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adv. On high; overhead: the clouds above.
- adv. In heaven; heavenward.
- adv. Upstairs: a table in the dining room above.
- adv. To a degree that is over zero: 15° above.
- adv. In or to a higher place.
- adv. In an earlier part of a given text: "The problems cited above have led to a number of suggestions for reform” ( Wharton Magazine).
- adv. In or to a higher rank or position: the ranks of major and above.
- prep. Over or higher than: a cool spring above the timberline.
- prep. Superior to in rank, position, or number; greater than: put principles above expediency.
- prep. Beyond the level or reach of: a shot that was heard above the music.
- prep. In preference to.
- prep. Too honorable to bend to: I am above petty intrigue.
- prep. More than: somewhat above normal temperature.
- prep. Upstream of: a dam positioned ten miles above the town.
- prep. North of: Minnesota is above Iowa.
- n. An earlier part of a given text: Refer to the above for that information.
- n. The person or persons already referred to in a text: The above hereby affix their signatures.
- adj. Appearing earlier in the same text: flaws in the above interpretation.
- idiom. above all Over and above all other factors or considerations: Above all, tell the truth.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- In or to a higher place; overhead; often, in a special sense: In or to the celestial regions; in heaven.
- Upstairs.
- On the upper side (opposed to beneath); toward the top (opposed to below): as, leaves green above, glaucous beneath; stems smooth above, hairy below.
- Higher in rank or power: as, the courts above.
- Before in rank or order, especially in a book or writing: as, from what has been said above.
- Besides: in the expression over and above.
- Above is often used elliptically as a noun, meaning: Heaven: as, “Every good gift … is from above,” Jas. i. 17. Preceding statement, remarks, or the like: as, from the above you will learn my object. It has the force of an adjective in such phrases as the above particulars, in which cited or mentioned is understood.
- In or to a higher place than.
- Superior to in any respect: often in the sense of too high for, as too high in dignity or fancied importance; too elevated in character: as, this man is above his business, above mean actions.
- More in quantity or number than: as, the weight is above a ton.
- More in degree than; in a greater degree than; beyond; in excess of.
- Synonyms Over, Above. See over.
Wiktionary
- prep. In or to a higher place; higher than; on or over the upper surface; over; — opposed to below or beneath.
- prep. Figuratively, higher than; superior to in any respect; surpassing; beyond; higher in measure or degree than; as, things above comprehension; above mean actions; conduct above reproach.
- prep. Surpassing in number or quantity; more than; as, above a hundred. (Passing into the adverbial sense; see adverb #4 below.)
- adv. In a higher place; overhead; into or from heaven.
- adv. Earlier in order; higher in the same page; hence, in a foregoing page.
- adv. Higher in rank or power.
- adj. Above is often used elliptically as an adjective by omitting the word said, mentioned, quoted, or the like:
- n. Above is often used further elliptically as a noun by omitting the noun, where it is should be clear what is omitted.
- prep. In or to a higher place; higher than; on or over the upper surface; over; — opposed to below or beneath.
- prep. Figuratively, higher than; superior to in any respect; surpassing; beyond; higher in measure or degree than; as, things above comprehension; above mean actions; conduct above reproach.
- prep. Surpassing in number or quantity; more than; as, above a hundred. (Passing into the adverbial sense; see adverb #4 below.)
- adv. In a higher place; overhead; into or from heaven.
- adv. Earlier in order; higher in the same page; hence, in a foregoing page.
- adv. Higher in rank or power.
- adj. Above is often used elliptically as an adjective by omitting the word said, mentioned, quoted, or the like:
- n. Above is often used further elliptically as a noun by omitting the noun, where it is should be clear what is omitted.
GNU Webster's 1913
- prep. In or to a higher place; higher than; on or over the upper surface; over; -- opposed to
below orbeneath . - prep. Figuratively, higher than; superior to in any respect; surpassing; beyond; higher in measure or degree than
- prep. Surpassing in number or quantity; more than. (Passing into the adverbial sense. See Above, adv., 4.)
- adv. In a higher place; overhead; into or from heaven.
- adv. Earlier in order; higher in the same page; hence, in a foregoing page.
- adv. Higher in rank or power.
- adv. More than.
WordNet 3.0
- adv. at an earlier place
- adv. in or to a place that is higher
- n. an earlier section of a written text
- adj. appearing earlier in the same text
Etymologies
- Middle English aboven, from Old English abūfan : a-, on; see a-2 + būfan, above; see upo in Indo-European roots.
Examples
“Promoted to Headline (H3) on 4/29/09: Getting away with Murder: Whatever happened to 'above all, do no harm'? yahooBuzzArticleHeadline = 'Getting away with Murder: Whatever happened to \'above all, do no harm\'? ”
Getting away with Murder: Whatever happened to 'above all, do no harm'?
“Almost all are eagerly reaching forward to a station in life a little above what they can well afford, or struggling to do a business a little more extensive than they have capital or steady credit for; and thus they keep, all through life, _just above_ their means -- and just above, no matter by how small an excess, is inevitable misery.”
“Except a mineral be born "from above" -- from the Kingdom just _above_ it -- it cannot enter the Kingdom just above it.”
“Just below the ice, in cold such as the above, the sea was found to be 29 degrees _above_ zero.”
“In general the mercury will stand either above or below the neutral point; if _above_, a portion of the mercury must have left the cistern, and consequently must have”
“It was a summer night -- she sat on a rude stone, the city on one side, with its lights and lamps; -- the whitened fields beyond, with the moon and the stars above; and _above_ she raised her streaming eyes, and she thought that God, the Protector, smiled upon her from the face of the sweet skies.”
“The above steps generate a CM package (. exe file) under \% windir\%\Program Files\CMAK\Profiles\Vista and above\ directory - with appropriate profile name on your server machine.”
“You will please take notice that the Registrar or Minister is bound legally to send the notice of marriage referred to above, and also, that in reading it out _in the form, and with the accompanying remarks above_, you incur no legal penalty.”
“I choose to believe Your Word above my circumstances, above my feelings, and above the voices around me or mistakes from the past.”
“He pointed at the name above the tuning pegs, as if to say, “obviously!””

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