Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

overseas

/ˌoʊvɚˈsiːz/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.29 in modern English

Syllables: over-seas
IPA: /ˌoʊvɚˈsiːz/

11

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

3

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Abroad, especially across the sea.

adj

Used with ethnicities, nationalities, or religious affiliations: living (being resident) in a foreign country.

adj

Across a sea; to or in an area across a sea.

adv

adv

Across a sea; to an area across a sea.

Example Sentences

"Overseas branches of the company are doing well."
"Overseas Chinese communities exist in North and South America."
"The reputations of our universities and our research base are already under threat because of the fallout from the EU referendum result, which is making the UK an unfriendlier place for overseas scholars and students, as well as cutting off access to an important stream of research funding and to a vibrant and well-developed ecosystem for collaborative work."
"Her overseas trip went well."
"He emigrated and now lives overseas."
"She travelled overseas."

Etymology

From earlier oversea, equivalent to oversea + -s. Compare West Frisian oerseesk, Dutch overzees, German Übersee, Danish oversøisk.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˌoʊvɚˈsiːz/
British English: /ˌəʊvəˈsiːz/

Inflected Forms

oversea (alternative, UK)

Phrases

overseas cap overseas Chinese overseas territory

Synonyms

transmarine ultramarine abroad oversea

Homonyms

oversees

Antonyms

domestic

Rhymes With

these please she's chinese disease japanese trees sees cheese degrees fees keys

Questions

How do you pronounce overseas?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌoʊvɚˈsiːz/.
What does overseas mean?: Abroad, especially across the sea.
Where does overseas come from?: From earlier oversea, equivalent to oversea + -s. Compare West Frisian oerseesk, Dutch overzees, German Übersee, Danish oversøisk.

How to pronounce overseas

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “overseas”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌoʊvɚˈsiːz/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “overseas”.
Repeat and practice — Say “overseas” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.