1
a
: in the sky : overhead
the clouds above
b
: in or to heaven
2
a
: in or to a higher place
b
: higher on the same page or on a preceding page
except as stated above
c
: upstairs
d
: above zero
10 degrees above
3
: in or to a higher rank or number
30 and above
4
archaic
: in addition : besides
5
: upstage
1
a
: in or to a higher place than : over
a room above the store
b
: upriver of
anchored about 10 miles above the city
2
a
: superior to (as in rank, quality, or degree)
A sergeant is above a corporal.
b
: out of reach of
above suspicion
c
: in preference to
puts his child's needs above his own needs
d
: too proud or honorable to stoop to
not above taking undue credit
3
: exceeding in number, quantity, or size : more than
men above 50 years old
4
: as distinct from and in addition to
heard the whistle above the roar of the crowd
plural above
1
a
: something that is above
Select one of the above.
b
: a person whose name is written above
Contact any of the above for more information.
2
a
: a higher authority
b
: heaven
Using Above as an Adjective or Noun: Usage Guide
Although still objected to by some, the use of above as a noun to mean "something that is above"
none of the above
the above is Theseus's opinion
—
William Blake
William Blake
and as an adjective
without the above reserve
—O. W. Holmes †1935
O. W. Holmes †1935
I was brought up on the above words
—Viscount Montgomery
Viscount Montgomery
has been long established as standard.
: written or discussed higher on the same page or on a preceding page
Contact me at the above address.
Synonyms
Adverb
Preposition
Noun
Examples of above in a Sentence
Adverb
up above and down below
Temperatures range from 5 below to 5 above.
Preposition
He raised his arms above his head.
They hung a mirror above the mantel.
We rented an apartment above a restaurant.
Temperatures were above average all week.
men above 50 years old
She values her private time above her fame.
He puts his child's needs above his own.
Noun
in her dying days she was supposedly visited by an angel from above
Recent Examples on the WebWesley Stenzel, EW.com, 12 Apr. 2024
Understanding which zodiac sign (shown by symbols in the chart above) aligns with each house is crucial in comprehending the energy the Houses and planets embody.
—Lisa Stardust, Peoplemag, 12 Apr. 2024
Watch the video above to learn how to easily clean your dirty stove grates.
—Maryal Miller Carter, USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2024
This year’s grand prize winner for the World Nature Photographer of the Year is Tracey Lund, for her fantastic shot of two gannets going after the same fish (seen above).
—Isaac Schultz / Gizmodo, Quartz, 11 Apr. 2024
Come summer, major attractions like the Spanish Steps in Rome (pictured above) are thronged by international tourists and vacationing Europeans.
—Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Apr. 2024
Musicians from the Warriors of Praise and the Sankofa Players gathered on the floor above.
—Eleanor McCrary, The Courier-Journal, 10 Apr. 2024
Related: 20 Best Things to Do on Oahu How to Get the Most Value Out of Your Stay
As mentioned above, Aulani is a Disney Vacation Club (DVC) property.
—Elizabeth Rhodes, Travel + Leisure, 8 Apr. 2024
While Lent is officially over – and there's no need to hide your meat from the Lord above – Rath plans on making maultaschen as a special.
—Keith Pandolfi, The Enquirer, 2 Apr. 2024
Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 14 Apr. 2024
At Furman’s 5th Avenue store, the number of people coming in selling and pawning gold jewelry is more than three times above normal levels since prices started to rally in late February.
—Yvonne Yue Li, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2024
These issues have been simmering for years at PLNU’s secluded home above Sunset Cliffs.
—Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2024
Hayden Love brought a list of numbers, neatly handwritten above his shopping list.
—Alan Blinder Doug Mills, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2024
Some of these projects simply involve taking photos or footage from high above Earth for documentaries and other projects.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 13 Apr. 2024
The affidavit stated that a detective asked Rice whether two scars above his eye were from the crash, and Rice said yes.
—Jesse Newell, Kansas City Star, 12 Apr. 2024
Systems will also be required to inform the public if the levels of PFAS go above the limit due to filtration issues, or if PFAS are discovered for the first time.
—Laura Schulte, Journal Sentinel, 12 Apr. 2024
The vote totals above combine results from the Kansas City Election Board, which tabulates votes in the part of Jackson County that also lies within Kansas City limits, and the Jackson County Election Board, which oversees voting everywhere in the county outside of Kansas City.
—Natalie Wallington, Kansas City Star, 3 Apr. 2024
Dr. Jeremy Nunn, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2022
All of the above makes Queensland, Australia, a top 2023 travel destination for you.
—Kirah Tabourn, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Dec. 2022
All of the above could have been at play Friday night for Kaneland and junior quarterback Troyer Carlson.
—Rick Armstrong, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2022
There’s more thematic resonance where all of the above comes from, including the stuff that sits right on the surface, like money, real estate, women working for creative fulfillment vs. women working to get paid.
—Time, 14 Oct. 2022
All of the above seems to be confirmed with today’s announcement.
—Stefene Russell, The Salt Lake Tribune, 14 Oct. 2022
In culinary uses, any of the above can help enhance both sweet and savory dishes.
—Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Oct. 2022
None of the above should be surprising or sound new to anyone who has been following Middle Eastern news for the past 15 years.
—Amir Avivi, WSJ, 8 Aug. 2022
All of the above should be clearly documented so new salespeople can be quickly trained and sales can be scaled.
—Pradeep Aradhya, Forbes, 13 June 2022
Tony Blengino, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024
On January 22, the remains were entombed in an above ground mausoleum in the state’s historically Black Eden Cemetery.
—Justin Gamble, CNN, 9 Feb. 2024
More specifically, 256 of all $10 million and above deals occurred in the Big Apple, totaling a hefty $4.92 billion.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 2 Feb. 2024
Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) declined 2% to $2.8 billion, coming in a little above guidance of $2.75 billion.
—Glenn Peoples, Billboard, 1 Feb. 2024
Rozier is also an above average player in isolation situations, using the dribble to create for himself and others.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 24 Jan. 2024
The videos that identify the six above locations paint a picture of the movements of Hamas militants on that morning.
—Victoria Beaule, ABC News, 12 Oct. 2023
Alabama has an above average net tuition revenue, the money that comes from students excluding any aid or discounts, according to the State Higher Education Finance Report.
—Jemma Stephenson, al, 28 Aug. 2023
Professional installation for an above ground pool costs $1,000 to $3,000 on average.
—Kate McGregor, House Beautiful, 27 June 2023
Adverb
Listen to the full Luminosity episode with Drake Bell above.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 12 Apr. 2024
Understanding which zodiac sign (shown by symbols in the chart above) aligns with each house is crucial in comprehending the energy the Houses and planets embody.
—Lisa Stardust, Peoplemag, 12 Apr. 2024
Watch the video above to learn how to easily clean your dirty stove grates.
—Maryal Miller Carter, USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2024
This year’s grand prize winner for the World Nature Photographer of the Year is Tracey Lund, for her fantastic shot of two gannets going after the same fish (seen above).
—Isaac Schultz / Gizmodo, Quartz, 11 Apr. 2024
Come summer, major attractions like the Spanish Steps in Rome (pictured above) are thronged by international tourists and vacationing Europeans.
—Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Apr. 2024
Musicians from the Warriors of Praise and the Sankofa Players gathered on the floor above.
—Eleanor McCrary, The Courier-Journal, 10 Apr. 2024
Related: 20 Best Things to Do on Oahu How to Get the Most Value Out of Your Stay
As mentioned above, Aulani is a Disney Vacation Club (DVC) property.
—Elizabeth Rhodes, Travel + Leisure, 8 Apr. 2024
While Lent is officially over – and there's no need to hide your meat from the Lord above – Rath plans on making maultaschen as a special.
—Keith Pandolfi, The Enquirer, 2 Apr. 2024
Preposition
The band isn’t above some nonsense, enlisting Paris Hilton and an Abraham Lincoln impersonator to games of Cornhole with fool’s gold for the crowd on the line.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 14 Apr. 2024
At Furman’s 5th Avenue store, the number of people coming in selling and pawning gold jewelry is more than three times above normal levels since prices started to rally in late February.
—Yvonne Yue Li, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2024
These issues have been simmering for years at PLNU’s secluded home above Sunset Cliffs.
—Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2024
Hayden Love brought a list of numbers, neatly handwritten above his shopping list.
—Alan Blinder Doug Mills, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2024
Some of these projects simply involve taking photos or footage from high above Earth for documentaries and other projects.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 13 Apr. 2024
The affidavit stated that a detective asked Rice whether two scars above his eye were from the crash, and Rice said yes.
—Jesse Newell, Kansas City Star, 12 Apr. 2024
Systems will also be required to inform the public if the levels of PFAS go above the limit due to filtration issues, or if PFAS are discovered for the first time.
—Laura Schulte, Journal Sentinel, 12 Apr. 2024
The vote totals above combine results from the Kansas City Election Board, which tabulates votes in the part of Jackson County that also lies within Kansas City limits, and the Jackson County Election Board, which oversees voting everywhere in the county outside of Kansas City.
—Natalie Wallington, Kansas City Star, 3 Apr. 2024
Noun
All of the above can have a significant positive impact on workplace occupants, which also includes contractors who periodically work out of the same offices and sites.
—Dr. Jeremy Nunn, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2022
All of the above makes Queensland, Australia, a top 2023 travel destination for you.
—Kirah Tabourn, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Dec. 2022
All of the above could have been at play Friday night for Kaneland and junior quarterback Troyer Carlson.
—Rick Armstrong, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2022
There’s more thematic resonance where all of the above comes from, including the stuff that sits right on the surface, like money, real estate, women working for creative fulfillment vs. women working to get paid.
—Time, 14 Oct. 2022
All of the above seems to be confirmed with today’s announcement.
—Stefene Russell, The Salt Lake Tribune, 14 Oct. 2022
In culinary uses, any of the above can help enhance both sweet and savory dishes.
—Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Oct. 2022
None of the above should be surprising or sound new to anyone who has been following Middle Eastern news for the past 15 years.
—Amir Avivi, WSJ, 8 Aug. 2022
All of the above should be clearly documented so new salespeople can be quickly trained and sales can be scaled.
—Pradeep Aradhya, Forbes, 13 June 2022
Adjective
Darvish’s curve had an above average 2731 rpm spin rate and high amounts of both horizontal (6.3 in.) and vertical (9.4 in.) movement.
—Tony Blengino, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024
On January 22, the remains were entombed in an above ground mausoleum in the state’s historically Black Eden Cemetery.
—Justin Gamble, CNN, 9 Feb. 2024
More specifically, 256 of all $10 million and above deals occurred in the Big Apple, totaling a hefty $4.92 billion.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 2 Feb. 2024
Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) declined 2% to $2.8 billion, coming in a little above guidance of $2.75 billion.
—Glenn Peoples, Billboard, 1 Feb. 2024
Rozier is also an above average player in isolation situations, using the dribble to create for himself and others.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 24 Jan. 2024
The videos that identify the six above locations paint a picture of the movements of Hamas militants on that morning.
—Victoria Beaule, ABC News, 12 Oct. 2023
Alabama has an above average net tuition revenue, the money that comes from students excluding any aid or discounts, according to the State Higher Education Finance Report.
—Jemma Stephenson, al, 28 Aug. 2023
Professional installation for an above ground pool costs $1,000 to $3,000 on average.
—Kate McGregor, House Beautiful, 27 June 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'above.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near above
Cite this Entry
“Above.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/above. Accessed 17 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
above
2 of 3 preposition1
: in or to a higher place than : over
2
: superior to
a captain is above a lieutenant
above criticism
3
: too proud or honorable to stoop to
above such mean tricks
4
: exceeding in number, quantity, or size : more than
above the average
5
: as distinct from and in addition to
heard the bell above the roar of the crowd
above
3 of 3 adjective
: written above
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