ˈoʊvər ðə tɒp
General
informal
beginner
- Literally:
- Beyond the top or limit
What does "over the top" mean?
- Excessive or exaggerated
- Beyond reasonable or acceptable limits
Examples
- The decorations were a bit over the top.
- His reaction was completely over the top.
- The movie's action scenes were over the top.
Origin
From World War I—soldiers going 'over the top' of trenches into dangerous battle. Later came to mean excessive or exaggerated.
How to use it
Can be critical or appreciative depending on context. Often abbreviated as OTT.
Similar expressions
excessive
exaggerated
extreme
too much
Opposites
understated
restrained
subtle
Related idioms
- actions speak louder than words
What people do is more important than what they say
- better safe than sorry
It's better to be careful and prevent problems than to take risks
- so far so good
Things have gone well up to now
- easier said than done
Something is more difficult to do than to talk about
- make a long story short
To summarize or get to the point
- to make matters worse
In addition to existing problems
Use it in a practice answer
Try "over the top" in a CELPIP-style Speaking or Writing task. The AI feedback tells you whether your word choice worked.