1
: an embroidered, printed, or lace fabric with a design covering most of the surface
2
: a pattern or design in which a single unit is repeated so as to cover an entire surface
1
: over the whole extent
decorated all over with a flower pattern
2
: everywhere
looked all over for the book
3
: in every respect : thoroughly
she is her mother all over
1
informal
: in eagerly affectionate, attentive, or aggressive pursuit of (someone or something)
the band's fans were all over them
2
informal
: very critical of (someone) in usually an angry or unreasonable way
the press was all over the coach after the loss
Synonyms
Examples of allover in a Sentence
Adjective
a rug with an allover pattern
Adverb
I've looked all over—even outside—and I can't find my other shoe.
his writing style is his mentor's all over
Recent Examples on the Web
Halie Lesavage, Harper's BAZAAR, 22 June 2023
The teen wore a gown by Lebanese designer Shady Zeineldine, which featured allover gold sequins and a turtleneck style.
—Jessica Booth, Peoplemag, 25 Jan. 2023
The Bear, Abby Elliott opted for a brilliant color to accent her bump on the carpet, wearing a Pamella Roland gown crafted in allover sequins in a rich orange topaz.
—Laurie Brookins, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Jan. 2023
Its door has a high-arched frame and a decorative allover circular pattern made from plastic.
—Kevin Cortez, Popular Mechanics, 7 Sep. 2022
Take, for example, the resurgence of the allover pattern room.
—Hadley Keller, House Beautiful, 25 May 2022
On luggage, the Trefoil was joined by the Gucci logo spelled backwards, while the horsebit crossbody and tote were decked out in an allover trefoil print.
—Tiziana Cardini, Vogue, 10 May 2022
The 11 pictures at Hemphill Artworks, unexhibited for many years, shift from allover compositions to ones in which the watery colors are stacked horizontally, although still lushly blended.
—Washington Post, 4 Feb. 2022
His paintings often capture a particular gray, allover light, in which the sun struggles (and fails) to make it through the clouds and the horizon is lost in a confusion of haze.
—Washington Post, 16 July 2021
Fiona Embleton, Glamour, 28 Mar. 2024
But there’s a difference between ditching the allover glam and going literally bare-faced to a fashion event.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 3 Jan. 2024
Four local artists apply such allover strategies to pictures that conjure the teeming, uncentered qualities of the natural world.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 15 Dec. 2023
Where Mehring’s allover paintings appear physically impenetrable, this one seems to beckon the viewer to enter.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 28 July 2023
The idea behind using allover pattern is simple: The less information there is for the eye to read, the less work the mind has to do.
—Sophie Donelson, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Aug. 2023
The color can be worn—as the model does here—in an allover look, like a dress or a suit.
—Madeline Dangmann, Glamour, 2 Aug. 2023
If your sunburn is less of an allover situation and more of a spot-treatment job, dab concealer onto only the reddest parts of your face.
—Amber Rambharose, Glamour, 26 May 2021
White chenille fabric stripes run along this cotton comforter, which comes in a crisp allover white or soft grey.
—Ellen McAlpine, Good Housekeeping, 22 Dec. 2022
Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 May 2024
Our toys are all over because the kids are playing with them and not sitting in front of a screen.
—Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2024
Alabama is getting a visit from the 13-year Brood XIX cicadas, which have been waiting underground for the right conditions to emerge, feed, mate and die, when the next generation will then head underground to start the cycle all over again.
—Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 8 May 2024
Her black pointed-toe shoes and black sheer tights completed her glamorous look seamlessly.
Actress and vocalist Cynthia Erivo wore a Thom Browne black suit with pink petals and black beading adorned all over it.
—Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 7 May 2024
There were 10 in total (some of which, despite my polite yet incessant emailing, I still wasn’t technically invited to), spread out all over Manhattan.
—Elise Taylor, Vogue, 7 May 2024
The event attracts investors from all over the world and is unlike any other company meeting.
—Josh Funk, Fortune, 6 May 2024
Barbecue and grilling enthusiasts from all over Michigan, including teams from metro Detroit, gathered Friday at Treetops Resort in Gaylord for the start of the two-day, sixth annual Grill on the Hill barbecue thrown-down.
—Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 6 May 2024
And while these wonders exist all over the world — from the lush hills of Hawaii to the rugged coast of Iceland — there's no denying that some waterfalls are a little extra special, and perhaps slightly more beautiful than the rest.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 4 May 2024
Bynadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 4 Mar. 2023
The carbon emissions from that fuel get captured, sent back to Texas, and start the process all over again.
—Alan Murray, Fortune, 3 Mar. 2023
About the only thing the Biden Administration and Congress could do right now is just declare immigration bankruptcy and start all over again, and have amnesty, but there isn’t the political will for that right now, unfortunately.
—Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2023
The Mexico City stop kicked off a promotional tour that has taken Jordan all over the world.
—Angelique Jackson, Variety, 1 Mar. 2023
Her mother [Sharon Adams] bought [English-language learning software], and my daughter taught herself, with her mother’s help, to speak all over again.
—Justin Baldoni, WSJ, 1 Mar. 2023
Weather forecasters say March may come in like a lion, bringing misery all over again to a state that recently had hundreds of thousands sitting in darkness.
—Bill Laytner, Detroit Free Press, 28 Feb. 2023
Later, her work as a documentarian took her all over the world, with her children often tagging along.
—WIRED, 23 Feb. 2023
Wearing the feathers has taken you all over country, and others have portrayed the chief during their events in Mobile.
—al, 19 Feb. 2023
Adjective
Dip a toe under the sea with the twinkly embellishments on SimonMiller's beachy collection for Mango, or dive all the way in with Marysia's allover shell print.
—Halie Lesavage, Harper's BAZAAR, 22 June 2023
The teen wore a gown by Lebanese designer Shady Zeineldine, which featured allover gold sequins and a turtleneck style.
—Jessica Booth, Peoplemag, 25 Jan. 2023
The Bear, Abby Elliott opted for a brilliant color to accent her bump on the carpet, wearing a Pamella Roland gown crafted in allover sequins in a rich orange topaz.
—Laurie Brookins, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Jan. 2023
Its door has a high-arched frame and a decorative allover circular pattern made from plastic.
—Kevin Cortez, Popular Mechanics, 7 Sep. 2022
Take, for example, the resurgence of the allover pattern room.
—Hadley Keller, House Beautiful, 25 May 2022
On luggage, the Trefoil was joined by the Gucci logo spelled backwards, while the horsebit crossbody and tote were decked out in an allover trefoil print.
—Tiziana Cardini, Vogue, 10 May 2022
The 11 pictures at Hemphill Artworks, unexhibited for many years, shift from allover compositions to ones in which the watery colors are stacked horizontally, although still lushly blended.
—Washington Post, 4 Feb. 2022
His paintings often capture a particular gray, allover light, in which the sun struggles (and fails) to make it through the clouds and the horizon is lost in a confusion of haze.
—Washington Post, 16 July 2021
Noun
As the name implies, bunny blonde refers to the shade of a rabbit's soft, sandy fluff, which is never just one allover hue.
—Fiona Embleton, Glamour, 28 Mar. 2024
But there’s a difference between ditching the allover glam and going literally bare-faced to a fashion event.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 3 Jan. 2024
Four local artists apply such allover strategies to pictures that conjure the teeming, uncentered qualities of the natural world.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 15 Dec. 2023
Where Mehring’s allover paintings appear physically impenetrable, this one seems to beckon the viewer to enter.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 28 July 2023
The idea behind using allover pattern is simple: The less information there is for the eye to read, the less work the mind has to do.
—Sophie Donelson, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Aug. 2023
The color can be worn—as the model does here—in an allover look, like a dress or a suit.
—Madeline Dangmann, Glamour, 2 Aug. 2023
If your sunburn is less of an allover situation and more of a spot-treatment job, dab concealer onto only the reddest parts of your face.
—Amber Rambharose, Glamour, 26 May 2021
White chenille fabric stripes run along this cotton comforter, which comes in a crisp allover white or soft grey.
—Ellen McAlpine, Good Housekeeping, 22 Dec. 2022
Adverb
Eventually people from all over flocked to the store as racial injustice movements grew in size and volume across America.
—Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 May 2024
Our toys are all over because the kids are playing with them and not sitting in front of a screen.
—Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2024
Alabama is getting a visit from the 13-year Brood XIX cicadas, which have been waiting underground for the right conditions to emerge, feed, mate and die, when the next generation will then head underground to start the cycle all over again.
—Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 8 May 2024
Her black pointed-toe shoes and black sheer tights completed her glamorous look seamlessly.
Actress and vocalist Cynthia Erivo wore a Thom Browne black suit with pink petals and black beading adorned all over it.
—Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 7 May 2024
There were 10 in total (some of which, despite my polite yet incessant emailing, I still wasn’t technically invited to), spread out all over Manhattan.
—Elise Taylor, Vogue, 7 May 2024
The event attracts investors from all over the world and is unlike any other company meeting.
—Josh Funk, Fortune, 6 May 2024
Barbecue and grilling enthusiasts from all over Michigan, including teams from metro Detroit, gathered Friday at Treetops Resort in Gaylord for the start of the two-day, sixth annual Grill on the Hill barbecue thrown-down.
—Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 6 May 2024
And while these wonders exist all over the world — from the lush hills of Hawaii to the rugged coast of Iceland — there's no denying that some waterfalls are a little extra special, and perhaps slightly more beautiful than the rest.
—Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 4 May 2024
Preposition
Attorney Ven Johnson, who represents the families of students who were killed in the shooting, criticized the ruling and the law behind it, saying his clients feel victimized all over again.
—Bynadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 4 Mar. 2023
The carbon emissions from that fuel get captured, sent back to Texas, and start the process all over again.
—Alan Murray, Fortune, 3 Mar. 2023
About the only thing the Biden Administration and Congress could do right now is just declare immigration bankruptcy and start all over again, and have amnesty, but there isn’t the political will for that right now, unfortunately.
—Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2023
The Mexico City stop kicked off a promotional tour that has taken Jordan all over the world.
—Angelique Jackson, Variety, 1 Mar. 2023
Her mother [Sharon Adams] bought [English-language learning software], and my daughter taught herself, with her mother’s help, to speak all over again.
—Justin Baldoni, WSJ, 1 Mar. 2023
Weather forecasters say March may come in like a lion, bringing misery all over again to a state that recently had hundreds of thousands sitting in darkness.
—Bill Laytner, Detroit Free Press, 28 Feb. 2023
Later, her work as a documentarian took her all over the world, with her children often tagging along.
—WIRED, 23 Feb. 2023
Wearing the feathers has taken you all over country, and others have portrayed the chief during their events in Mobile.
—al, 19 Feb. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'allover.' 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 allover
Cite this Entry
“Allover.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/allover. Accessed 12 May. 2024.
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