Meaning trap
go over
be received
To be accepted, perceived, or reacted to in a particular way by others, especially in terms of approval, popularity, or response.
Don't mix these meanings
Same phrase, different job.
To be accepted, perceived, or reacted to in a particular way by others, especially in terms of approval, popularity, or response.
'go over' also has the more basic meaning 'review carefully'; this is the advanced sense.
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
- Her proposal didn't go over well with the board, so they decided to postpone the project.communication
- If new government policies do not go over well with the public, officials may face significant backlash and pressure to reconsider their approach.IELTS speaking
Fix the pattern
Pattern: go over (with someone/a group)
WrongThe joke went over good.
RightThe joke went over well.
Use the adverb 'well' (not 'good'), often as 'go over well/badly with + people'.
Patterngo over (with someone/a group)
Use it right
Choose the version that sounds natural in speech.
'Go over (well/badly)' is the idiomatic way to talk about how something was received. The formal passive is stiff.
Build natural chunks
Words that usually travel with it.
go over + well/badlywellbadlylike a charmwith the crowd
Don't confuse it
Unlike the B1/B2 senses, which involve reviewing or explaining something, this sense focuses on the reaction or reception something gets from others, not the process of examining it.
Related
- go over (review carefully) — 'go over' also has the more basic meaning 'review carefully'; this is the advanced sense.