Difference between “Above” and “Over”

What is the difference between above and over? Both over and above mean ‘higher than’ and in many cases are interchangeable:

• She was sitting and watching the clouds above/over her head go by.
• There was a beautiful rainbow above/over the horizon.

When to Use “Over” and “Above”

The main difference between them is the context, e.g. over indicates movement, while above refers to a location. We use over, but not above, to imply movement from one location to another:

• Jane was going over the street.
• If you want a beer, you should go to the pub over there.

On the other hand, we use above, but not over, to imply the location:

• The book was on the shelf above the desk.
• She put her handbag in the locker above her head.

We use over, but nor above, when there is contact between the things:

• She put a blanket over her to get warmer (not She put a blanket above her to get warmer)

Difference between “Above” and “Over”

We use above, but not over, when something is higher than something else, without touching:

• The bird was singing above her head. (not The bird was singing over her head)

We usually use over, not above, with numbers:

• There were over a thousand people at the demonstrations. (not There were above a thousand people at the demonstrations)
• Over 300 people died in the devastating earthquake (not above 300 people died in the devastating earthquake)

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