overhead
gb/ˌoʊvɚhˈɛd/ us/ˌoʊvɚhˈɛd/
A2
English
~ 8000
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B2
entity
1
general operating costs of a business
Money a business must pay all the time to run, like rent, electricity, and office work, not for one special product or job.
Usage pattern:
[company] has [high/low] overhead
Common mistake:
Learners often think 'overhead' must be plural when talking about costs and say *"overheads"* in all varieties of English. In many contexts, especially in American English, the uncountable noun 'overhead' is more natural: 'Our overhead is too high.' British English does also use the plural 'overheads', especially in 'fixed overheads', but both forms are not always interchangeable. Learners may also confuse this meaning with the adverb 'overhead' meaning 'above your head'.
Synonyms
operating costs (More formal and explicit; clearly refers to expenses, while 'overhead' can sound slightly more technical or business-focused.)
Antonyms
direct costs (Direct costs can be traced to a specific product or project, unlike overhead, which is shared and general.)
Collocations
high overhead
|low overhead
|overhead costs
|fixed overhead
|administrative overhead
|reduce overhead
Themes
business
|economics
|work
|finance
Examples
- The company moved to a smaller office to lower its overhead.
- Their overhead is so high that even strong sales don’t lead to big profits.
- We need to cut overhead if we want the startup to survive the first year.
- Rent and insurance make up a large part of our overhead.
- By outsourcing customer support, they reduced their overhead significantly.
Learner examples
- Our shop has very low overhead because we sell only online.
- We must reduce overhead or the business will lose money.
- Office rent is part of the company’s overhead.
- High overhead makes our products more expensive.
- They check their overhead every year to save money.
adverb
A2
relation
2
above your head; in the air
In a place above your head, often in the sky or on the ceiling.
Usage pattern:
[something] moves overhead
Common mistake:
Some learners use 'on the top of my head' instead of 'overhead' when they mean something is in the space above them. Also, they may write *"over head"* as two words; in this sense, it is always written as one word: 'overhead'.
Synonyms
above ('Above' is more general and can mean higher in many ways; 'overhead' usually means directly over your head or over a place, often physically close.)
Antonyms
below (Describes something in a lower position, opposite of something being overhead.)
Collocations
fly overhead
|pass overhead
|directly overhead
|lights overhead
|clouds overhead
|look overhead
Themes
daily life
|nature
|travel
|space
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- A plane roared overhead as we walked through the park.
- Storm clouds gathered overhead, and the sky turned dark.
- She shielded her eyes from the sun hanging directly overhead.
- Bats circled overhead as night fell over the village.
- The ceiling fan spun quietly overhead while we talked.
Learner examples
- A bird is flying overhead.
- The sun is directly overhead at noon.
- There is a loud helicopter overhead.
- Look overhead; the stars are very bright.
- The lamp overhead gives a soft light.
adjective
B1
property
3
located above head or space
Placed above your head or high over a space, like lights or storage on the ceiling or roof.
Usage pattern:
an overhead [object]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *"up head"* or *"on the top"* instead of 'overhead'. They may also confuse this adjective use with the cost meaning and write things like *"overhead money"* when they mean 'overhead costs' or 'overhead expenses'.
Synonyms
ceiling-mounted (More technical and specific to things attached to a ceiling, while 'overhead' is broader and can describe anything above you, not just on a ceiling.)
Antonyms
floor-level (Describes something at or near the floor, contrasting with something placed high above as 'overhead'.)
Collocations
overhead light
|overhead lighting
|overhead cable
|overhead compartment
|overhead storage
|overhead power lines
Themes
daily life
|home
|travel
|space
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The overhead lights in the office are too bright.
- Please put your bag in the overhead compartment before we take off.
- They installed overhead storage to save floor space in the garage.
- Overhead cables hummed softly in the summer heat.
- The warehouse uses an overhead crane to move heavy loads.
Learner examples
- The overhead light is broken.
- I put my suitcase in the overhead bin.
- There are many overhead wires in this street.
- We added overhead shelves in the kitchen.
- The train has overhead luggage racks.
adjective
B2
property
4
relating to operating expenses
Describing regular business costs, like rent and office work, that are not for one special product or job.
Usage pattern:
overhead [costs/expenses]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *"extra costs"* or *"other costs"* when they specifically mean 'overhead costs'. They may also wrongly think 'overhead' here means 'too high', because of the idea of 'over'. In business English, 'overhead costs' are not necessarily high; they are simply general running costs.
Synonyms
indirect (Used in phrases such as 'indirect costs'; more technical accounting term, while 'overhead' is the usual business word.)
Antonyms
direct (As in 'direct costs'; describes expenses linked to a single product or project, unlike overhead costs.)
Collocations
overhead costs
|overhead expenses
|overhead budget
|overhead allocation
|overhead rate
|overhead department
Themes
business
|economics
|work
|finance
Examples
- We need to separate direct and overhead costs in the report.
- Overhead expenses increased when the company opened a second office.
- The finance team is reviewing all overhead budgets this quarter.
- Our overhead rate is higher than the industry average.
- They cut overhead staff to save money during the downturn.
Learner examples
- Overhead costs are a big problem for small shops.
- We want to keep overhead expenses low.
- The manager checks overhead costs every month.
- They reduced overhead staff to save money.
- High overhead expenses make our prices go up.
Noun
B1
entity
5
overhead projector device
A machine that shows words or pictures on a wall by shining light through a clear plastic sheet.
Usage pattern:
use an overhead [for something]
Common mistake:
Learners may not realize that 'overhead' alone can mean 'overhead projector' in educational or meeting contexts, and may think it only means 'above your head'. They might also confuse it with 'headset' or other equipment words if they only hear it quickly in speech.
Synonyms
overhead projector (More explicit full term; 'overhead' alone is a shortened, informal way to refer to the same device.)
Antonyms
whiteboard (A non-projecting writing surface often used instead of an overhead projector in classrooms and meetings.)
Collocations
use an overhead
|old overhead
|slide on the overhead
|overhead projector
|overhead transparency
|set up the overhead
Themes
education
|technology
|work
Examples
- The teacher wrote on a transparency and put it on the overhead.
- Before digital projectors, most classrooms used an overhead for notes and diagrams.
- The bulb in the overhead burned out in the middle of his presentation.
- She prefers using an overhead because it lets her write while students watch.
- We still keep an old overhead in the storeroom as a backup.
Learner examples
- The teacher shows the picture on an overhead.
- We use an overhead in our English class.
- The overhead is not working, so we cannot see the slides.
- He puts the paper on the overhead and everyone can see it.
- They turn off the lights to use the overhead.
Noun
technical
C1
action
6
tennis-style shot hit overhead
In sports like tennis, a hit where the player hits the ball hard from above their head.
Usage pattern:
hit an overhead
Common mistake:
Learners may think 'overhead' here means any shot that goes high in the air, but it specifically refers to a stroke hit above the player’s head. They might also say *"overhead hit"* or *"overhead ball"* instead of the standard 'hit an overhead' or 'overhead smash'.
Synonyms
smash (Common in tennis for a powerful overhead shot; 'overhead' is more neutral and describes the position of the shot, not only the power.)
Antonyms
drop shot (A very soft, delicate shot, opposite in style and power to a typical overhead smash.)
Collocations
smash an overhead
|hit an overhead
|miss an overhead
|easy overhead
|overhead smash
|defensive overhead
Themes
sports
|leisure
Examples
- He ran back and crushed an overhead to win the point.
- She missed an easy overhead right at the net.
- The lob forced him to hit a defensive overhead instead of attacking.
- His overhead is the strongest part of his game.
- They practiced overheads for half an hour after the match.
Learner examples
- The player hits a strong overhead.
- She wins the point with an overhead.
- He misses the overhead and loses the game.
- They practice overheads in tennis class.
- A lob ball can make you hit an overhead.
Grammar
Dictionary form
overhead
IPA
GB/ˌoʊvɚhˈɛd/
US/ˌoʊvɚhˈɛd/
Syllables & stress
over - head (2 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (head)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: overhead
Noun
- Base: overhead
- Plural: overhead, overheads
Word family
Forms
overheads
noun
Related words
head
noun A1
Expressions
high overhead
1/hˈaɪ ˈoʊvɚhˌɛd/
fixed phrase
large general business costs
When a business has a lot of regular costs, like rent and salaries.
Examples
- Restaurants often have high overhead because of rent and staff.
- The factory’s high overhead makes it hard to compete on price.
keep overheads down
1/kˈip ˈoʊvɚhˌɛdz dˈaʊn/
fixed phrase
control and limit operating costs
To make sure the regular running costs of a business do not become too high.
Examples
- Online shops can keep overheads down by not renting a store.
- We’re trying to keep overheads down while we grow the business.
low overhead
1/lˈoʊ ˈoʊvɚhˌɛd/
fixed phrase
small general business costs
When a business has only a small amount of regular costs.
Examples
- Freelancers usually have low overhead compared to big companies.
- The new software service has low overhead and high profit margins.
overhead bin
1/ˌoʊvɚhˈɛd bˈɪn/
fixed phrase
airplane storage for hand luggage
The box above your seat on a plane where you put your small bags.
Examples
- My backpack is too big for the overhead bin.
- She opened the overhead bin carefully so nothing would fall out.
overhead costs
1/ˌoʊvɚhˈɛd kˈɔsts/
fixed phrase
general running costs of a business
Regular money a business must pay to run, like rent and electricity, that is not for one special product or job.
Examples
- Rising overhead costs are putting pressure on small restaurants.
- We moved our data to the cloud to reduce overhead costs.
overhead lighting
1/ˌoʊvɚhˈɛd lˈaɪtɪŋ/
fixed phrase
ceiling lights in a room
Lights on or in the ceiling that shine down into a room.
Examples
- The overhead lighting in this office is very harsh.
- They turned off the overhead lighting and used lamps instead.
overhead power lines
1/ˌoʊvɚhˈɛd pˈaʊɚ lˈaɪnz/
fixed phrase
electrical cables carried on poles
Electric wires that hang high in the air on tall poles.
Examples
- Strong winds damaged several overhead power lines.
- The town plans to bury the overhead power lines underground.
reduce overhead
1/ɹɪdˈus ˌoʊvɚhˈɛd/
fixed phrase
lower general business costs
To make the regular running costs of a business smaller.
Examples
- They outsourced accounting to reduce overhead.
- Moving to a smaller office helped the company reduce overhead.
overhead compartment
1/ˌoʊvɚhˈɛd kəmpˈɑɹtmənt/
fixed phrase
storage above seats in vehicles
A long box or shelf above the seats on a plane, train, or bus where you put bags.
Examples
- Please place all carry-on items in the overhead compartment.
- Please place smaller items in the overhead compartment.
- The overhead compartments are full, so you’ll have to check your bag.
- The overhead compartments were already full when we boarded.
- She took her laptop out of the overhead compartment before landing.
overhead projector
1/ˌoʊvɚhˈɛd pɹəd͡ʒˈɛktɚ/
fixed phrase
device that projects transparencies
A machine that shows words or pictures on a wall by shining light through a clear plastic sheet.
Examples
- Before digital projectors, teachers often used an overhead projector in class.
- The teacher used an overhead projector to show the diagram.
- She wrote on a transparent sheet and placed it on the overhead projector.
- Many schools have replaced overhead projectors with digital ones.
- The school finally replaced the old overhead projector with a modern system.