overhead
Definitions
Above one's head; in the sky or up above.
在头顶上，在上方。
Positioned above, especially fixed above head height.
头顶上的，高架的。
The ongoing running costs of a business not tied directly to production, such as rent and utilities.
经常性开支，间接费用（如房租、水电，不直接计入生产成本）。
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedover (above) + head = above your head. The literal sense is spatial (a plane flying overhead). The business sense is a metaphor: overhead costs are the expenses that hang 'over' the whole operation — always there above you, like a roof — regardless of how much you produce.
Root head still carries 14 more wordsUsage Guide
Two very different uses: (1) spatial — overhead as adverb/adjective: 'storage in the overhead compartment,' 'clouds gathered overhead.' (2) business — overhead as an uncountable noun: 'we cut our overhead by moving offices' (AmE often 'overhead costs' or 'overheads' in BrE). Stress: the noun is usually OH-ver-head; the adverb often o-ver-HEAD.
Example Sentences
- 1.
A helicopter circled overhead for an hour.
- 2.
Please store your bag in the overhead compartment.
- 3.
Renting a smaller office cut our overhead significantly.