hover
To keep in a stationary state in the airTo keep (something, such as an aircraft) in a stationary state in the air.
» The helicopter hovered over the building.
Вертолёт висел над зданием.
Meaning
8 senses(transitive)To keep (something, such as an aircraft) in a stationary state in the air.
schwebend halten
(transitive)Of a bird: to shelter (chicks) under its body and wings; (by extension) of a thing: to cover or surround (something).
behüten
(intransitive)To remain stationary or float in the air.
The hummingbird hovered by the plant.
rütteln, schweben, stillstehen (in der Luft)
нависа́тьnavisátʹ, пари́тьparítʹ, порха́тьporxátʹ
ширя́тиšyrjáty
(figuratively, intransitive)Sometimes followed by over: to hang around or linger in a place, especially in an uncertain manner.
His pen hovered above the paper.
The strange man hovered outside the gents’ toilet.
verweilen, rumhängen
болта́тьсяboltátʹsja, ме́шкатьméškatʹ, слоня́тьсяslonjátʹsja
hang over, as of something threatening, dark, or menacing
(figuratively, intransitive)To be indecisive or uncertain; to vacillate, to waver.
Filling in the voting form, I hovered between Labour and Liberal Democrat.
zögern, unsicher sein
колеба́тьсяkolebátʹsja
(intransitive)Chiefly followed by over: to use a mouse or other device to place a cursor over something on a screen such as a hyperlink or icon without clicking, so as to produce a result (such as the appearance of a tooltip).
A tooltip appears when you hover over this link.
bewegen, fahren (with über), positionieren
(intransitive)To travel in a hovercraft as it moves above a water surface.
schweben (entlang, über)
(obsolete, transitive)Of a bird or insect: to flap (its wings) so it can remain stationary in the air.
Examples
42 sentencesThe helicopter hovered over the building.
ruВертолёт висел над зданием.
We could see the helicopter hovering above the pond.
The helicopter is hovering overhead.
ruВертолёт завис над головой.
deDer Hubschrauber schwebt über Kopf in der Luft.
As I hovered over my dead body, I knew that I was now a ghost.
deAls ich über meinem toten Körper schwebte, wußte ich, daß ich jetzt ein Geist war.
He hovered between life and death.
ruОн повис между жизнью и смертью.
Translations
9 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 3
By meaning 7
Origin
The verb is derived from Middle English hoveren (“to float in the air, hover; to stay”), pThe verb is derived from Middle English hoveren (“to float in the air, hover; to stay”), probably from hoven (“hover; of a bird: to fly high in the air, soar”) (which it displaced) + -er- (frequentative suffix). Hoven is probably derived from Old English *hōfian, from hōfon, the plural past indicative form of hebban (“to lift, raise”), from Proto-West Germanic *habbjan, from Proto-Germanic *habjaną (“to lift; to heave”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *keh₂p- (“to hold, seize”). The English word is analysable as hove (“(obsolete) to remain suspended, float, hover; to linger, wait”) + -er (frequentative suffix).
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
hovers, hovering, hovered, hoveredSynonyms
9 synonyms- to hang about in a place beyond the proper or usual time:linger
- be undecided about something; waver between conflicting positions or courses of action:vibratevacillateoscillate
- be suspended in the air, as if in defiance of gravity:levitate
- hang over, as of something threatening, dark, or menacing:broodloombulk large
Word family
20 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle