hover
/ˈhɒvə
/verb [no object, with adverbial]
1Remain in one place in the air: Army helicopters hovered overhead...
- Overhead, a helicopter hovers at such a low height that it only just clears the occasional overpass bridges that appear.
- Sumner compared it to the difference between a helicopter passing overhead or hovering.
- Overhead 10 helicopters hovered, cameramen and photographers ready to shoot the action.
Synonyms
be suspended, be poised, hang, float, levitate, drift, fly, flutter
1.1Remain poised uncertainly in one place or between two states: her hand hovered over the console his expression hovered between cynicism and puzzlement...
- Leanne's hand hovered over a large, blue button on her console, preparing to press it.
- The ice storm hovered over the Ontario and Quebec area until Jan. 14.
- Thick, low clouds hovered over Jay's house like fists ready to strike.
1.2Linger close at hand in an uncertain manner: she hovered anxiously in the background...
- So he hovered close and waited, and in the middle of the third week, his vigilance paid off.
- As I stammered my way to buying a bag of apples, and my classmates donned other wacky guises, Ralph hovered close by to cast a critical eye and ear over our performances.
- We hover close enough that I can see the matted clumps in the bear's shaggy, pale brown coat.
Synonyms
linger, loiter, wait about, stay nearby
informal hang around, stick around
British informal hang about
1.3Remain at or near a particular level: inflation will hover around the 4 per cent mark...
- With fuel prices hovering near record high levels, can any carrier turn a profit?
- The CDC reported deaths as a whole from influenza hovering near epidemic levels.
- Gas prices continue to hover near record levels, but if you think you're paying too much at the pump that may be the least of your worries.
1.4 Computing Use a mouse or other device to position the cursor over a particular area of a computer screen so as to cause a program to respond (typically by displaying additional information or options), without clicking a button on the device: if you hover over the video, it will play a preview with sound [with object]: you can hover your cursor over any button to see an explanation
noun [in singular]
An act of hovering: keep the model in a stable hover...
- As we lifted on the signal, a squadron officer called for the pilot to bring the aircraft to a stable hover.
- I fought my way toward spot 4, and the crewman signaled me to land as soon as I achieved a stable hover.
- We located that raft and began the recovery process from as stable a hover as possible.
Derivatives
hoverer
- But more than that - it's given the hoverers, the aboriginal people and their children, somewhere to go.
- Some experts are saying that parents have gone too far and are becoming hoverers, lambasting their kids' behaviors at daycare (as seen on a webcam) or on a test score (posted online).
- I was definitely a hoverer.
Origin
Late Middle English: from archaic hove 'hover, linger', of unknown origin.