overheads
/ˈəʊvəhedz/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈəʊvərhedz/ (ame, ipa)
overheads — noun
1. the ongoing bills a company pays to keep operating, such as rent, electricity, i
the ongoing bills a company pays to keep operating, such as rent, electricity, insurance, and office pay, rather than costs tied to one product or job.
Rising energy prices forced the bakery to cut other overheads this winter.
business sense: cut overheads
Padma lists rent and office pay under overheads, not product costs.
accounting label: under overheads
The repair shop kept its overheads low by sharing a building.
The owner worried that the cafe's overheads were growing faster than sales.
- expenses
broader term for money spent; not only running costs
- running costs
close everyday term for the cost of keeping something going
- fixed costs
narrower accounting term for costs that stay fairly stable
- direct costs
costs linked to a particular product, order, or job
文法句型
cut overheads
keep overheads low
overheads rise
用法筆記
Usually plural in this meaning. It refers to general running costs, not the direct cost of making one item or completing one job.
常見錯誤
2. transparent plastic sheets for an overhead projector, usually written or printed
transparent plastic sheets for an overhead projector, usually written or printed on so a class can see the material on a screen.
Before class, Lara placed the biology overheads beside the projector cart.
teaching materials for a projector
The lecturer still kept old overheads in a cabinet behind the whiteboard.
Quan rewrote the blurred overheads so students at the back could read them.
We found a box of economics overheads while cleaning the language lab.
- transparencies
formal technical term for the same kind of projector sheets
- acetates
common older term, especially when the sheets are plastic film
文法句型
prepare overheads
show overheads
old overheads
用法筆記
This is mainly older classroom and office language. Digital presentations are usually called slides, but overheads are specifically transparent sheets used with an overhead projector.
3. shots in tennis or similar racket sports where a player strikes the ball hard fr
shots in tennis or similar racket sports where a player strikes the ball hard from above head height, often to end the point.
Christopher practiced overheads at the net until his shoulder started to tire.
tennis shot hit above head height
The coach fed high balls so Xiu could work on her overheads.
practice overheads with high feeds
Asher won the match with two clean overheads in the final game.
On windy days, Lisa often mistimes overheads near the baseline.
- smashes
common sports term for forceful shots hit from above
- overhead smashes
more explicit phrase often used in coaching
文法句型
practice overheads
hit overheads
miss overheads
用法筆記
Often used by coaches and players when talking about drills or shot selection. The singular overhead names one shot, while overheads often refers to that shot type in general.