go over — be received
phrasal verbC1IELTS 7+neutraloccasional
To be accepted, perceived, or reacted to in a particular way by others, especially in terms of approval, popularity, or response.
Say it like a native
Textbook Her speech was received favourably by the audience.
Native Her speech went over really well.
'Go over (well/badly)' is the idiomatic way to talk about how something was received. The formal passive is stiff.
Pattern: go over (with someone/a group)
In use
- 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
Common mistake
✗ The joke went over good.
✓ The joke went over well.
Use the adverb 'well' (not 'good'), often as 'go over well/badly with + people'.
Common collocations
go over + well/badly— well, badly, like a charm, with 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.