verb · academic
hover
UK/ˈhʌvə/US/ˈhʌvər/HO·ver
task1
to stay at about the same level without moving much up or down
Examples
“Unemployment has hovered around 5% for the past three years.”
“Rates hovered just below 10% until the end of the period.”
“The price hovered at roughly $50 per barrel.”
Band 8 sentence
“Over the last decade consumer confidence has hovered around historical averages, with only minor deviations.”
Collocations
- hover around/at
- hover just below/above
Word family
hover verbhovered verb (past)hovering verb (gerund)
Common mistakes
The rate hovered 5%→The rate hovered around 5% / The rate hovered at 5%
Prices were hovering since 2018→Prices have hovered since 2018
Say it for a higher band
5stay around→6stay at roughly→7+hover
Synonyms
remain steady
stabilize
Easily confused
stabilize
“After months of fluctuation, the rate began to stabilize.”
Related words
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In Rate of change
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