Hoover vs. Hover — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on October 6, 2023
Hoover refers to a vacuum cleaner brand, while Hover means to remain in one place in the air.
Difference Between Hoover and Hover
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Hoover and Hover are two distinct words with different origins and meanings. Hoover originates from the name of a company that popularized the vacuum cleaner, while Hover has roots in Old Norse and means to remain floating or suspended in air or water.
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Oct 06, 2023
Hoover has become synonymous with vacuuming due to the company's dominance in the market. Hover, however, has a more general application, denoting a state of suspension or floating.
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Oct 06, 2023
When one says they are "hoovering the carpet," they mean they are cleaning the carpet using a vacuum cleaner. On the other hand, if someone says a bird is "hovering" above a tree, it means the bird is staying in one place in the air, usually by flapping its wings.
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Oct 06, 2023
In conclusion, while Hoover is associated specifically with a brand of vacuum cleaners and the act of vacuuming, Hover is a broader term indicating suspension or floating in air or water.
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Oct 06, 2023
Both Hoover and Hover can be used as verbs. For instance, one can "hoover the floor" and a helicopter can "hover over a location."
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Oct 06, 2023
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Comparison Chart
Example
"I will hoover the living room."
"The drone hovered above the park."
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Definitions
Hover
To stay close to a person or thing.
She hovered near the exit, unsure of leaving.
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Hoover
Referring to President Herbert Hoover.
The Hoover administration faced the Great Depression.
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Hover
To be situated at a level or in between two levels.
Temperatures will hover around freezing tonight.
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Hover
An act of remaining in the air in one place
Keep the model in a stable hover
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Jun 26, 2019
Hoover
A US city in north central Alabama, south of Birmingham; population 71,020 (est. 2008).
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Hover
To remain floating, suspended, or fluttering in the air
Gulls hovering over the waves.
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Jun 26, 2019
Hover
To remain or linger in or near a place
Hovering around the speaker's podium.
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Jun 26, 2019
Hoover
To clean (a surface or material) with a vacuum cleaner
Hoovered the rug.
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Jun 26, 2019
Hover
To remain in an uncertain state; waver
Hovered between anger and remorse.
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Jun 26, 2019
Hoover
To remove with a vacuum cleaner. Often used with up
Hoovered up the spilled cereal.
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Jun 26, 2019
Hover
(Computers) To position a pointer over an object or area of the screen, causing a pop-up box to appear or other change to occur
Hover over the image to display the filename.
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Hover
To cause to hover
The pilot hovered the helicopter a few feet above the icy river.
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Hoover
(Informal) To use a vacuum cleaner
Needs to hoover before the guests arrive.
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Hover
(Computers) To position (a pointer) over an object or area of the screen
Hovered the cursor over the link.
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Jun 26, 2019
Hoover
To clean (a room, etc.) with a vacuum cleaner, irrespective of brand.
I need to hoover this room.
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Jun 26, 2019
Hoover
To use a vacuum cleaner, irrespective of brand.
My husband is upstairs, hoovering.
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Hover
To keep (something, such as an aircraft) in a stationary state in the air.
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Hover
Of a bird: to shelter (chicks) under its body and wings; (by extension) of a thing: to cover or surround (something).
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Hover
(obsolete) Of a bird or insect: to flap (its wings) so it can remain stationary in the air.
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Hoover
United States industrialist who manufactured vacuum cleaners (1849-1932)
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Hover
To remain stationary or float in the air.
The hummingbird hovered by the plant.
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Hoover
United States lawyer who was director of the FBI for 48 years (1895-1972)
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Hoover
31st President of the United States; in 1929 the stock market crashed and the economy collapsed and Hoover was defeated for re-election by Franklin Roosevelt (1874-1964)
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Hover
(computing) Chiefly followed by over: to use a mouse or other device to place a cursor over something on a screen such as a hyperlink or icon without clicking, so as to produce a result (such as the appearance of a tooltip).
A tooltip appears when you hover over this link.
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Hover
(nautical) To travel in a hovercraft as it moves above a water surface.
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Hover
An act, or the state, of remaining stationary in the air or some other place.
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Hover
(figuratively) An act, or the state, of being suspended; a suspension.
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Hover
A cover; a protection; a shelter; specifically, an overhanging bank or stone under which fish can shelter; also, a shelter for hens brooding their eggs.
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Hover
To hang fluttering in the air, or on the wing; to remain in flight or floating about or over a place or object; to be suspended in the air above something.
Great flights of birds are hovering about the bridge, and settling on it.
A hovering mist came swimming o'er his sight.
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Hover
To hang about; to move to and fro near a place, threateningly, watchfully, or irresolutely.
Agricola having sent his navy to hover on the coast.
Hovering o'er the paper with her quill.
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Hover
Be undecided about something; waver between conflicting positions or courses of action;
He oscillates between accepting the new position and retirement
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Hover
Be suspended in the air, as if in defiance of gravity;
The guru claimed that he could levitate
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Hover
Hang over, as of something threatening, dark, or menacing;
The terrible vision brooded over her all day long
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Hover
To remain in one place in the air.
The helicopter hovered above the scene.
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Oct 06, 2023
FAQs
What is the primary meaning of "Hoover"?
Hoover is a brand name for a vacuum cleaner and has also come to mean "to vacuum."
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Oct 06, 2023
Is Hoover only associated with vacuuming?
No, while primarily linked to vacuuming, "hoover" can also mean to consume quickly or greedily.
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Oct 06, 2023
Can "hover" indicate uncertainty?
Yes, it can denote being in a state of indecision or uncertainty.
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Oct 06, 2023
Is Hoover a universal term for vacuuming worldwide?
No, while it's common in some countries like the UK, it's not universally used to mean "to vacuum."
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Oct 06, 2023
Can objects other than flying ones "hover"?
Yes, "hover" can be used metaphorically, like prices hovering at a certain level.
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Oct 06, 2023
Can "hover" mean to vacuum?
No, hover means to remain in one place in the air or to stay close to something.
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Oct 06, 2023
Is "Hoover" derived from a person's name?
Yes, it is associated with the Hoover Company's founder, William Henry Hoover.
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Oct 06, 2023
What does it mean when a bird "hovers"?
It means the bird remains stationary in the air, often by rapidly flapping its wings.
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Oct 06, 2023
Is it correct to say "hoovering up information"?
Yes, it's a metaphorical use meaning to quickly or greedily consume information.
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Oct 06, 2023
Can both "Hoover" and "Hover" be used as verbs?
Yes, one can "hoover the floor" and a drone can "hover in the sky."
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Oct 06, 2023
Can a person "hover"?
Yes, in the context of staying close to or lingering near someone or something.
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Oct 06, 2023
Is "hoover" always capitalized?
When referring to the brand, yes. However, when used as a generic term for vacuuming, it might not be capitalized.
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Oct 06, 2023
What's the opposite of "hover"?
In the context of flying, it might be "dive" or "descend."
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Oct 06, 2023
Author Spotlight
Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
