To look at something again, especially to check details or make sure you understand it.
I need to go over my notes before the exam.
A: Did you finish your assignment? B: Not yet, I want to go over it one more time to check for mistakes.
Before giving my presentation, I always go over my main points to make sure I remember everything.
Common mistake
✗I need to go over again my answers.
✓I need to go over my answers again.
'Again' goes after the object, not between 'go over' and the object.
Tell it apart
I'll go over my notes alone.
review for myself
I'll go over the topic with the class.
explain it to them
Use 'go over' when you want to check or review information, like homework, notes, or plans.Not the same as 'go across' (move from one side to another) or 'go through' (experience something).
To discuss or explain something step by step, often so that everyone understands.
Let me go over the instructions so everyone knows what to do.
A: I'm not sure how to fill out this form. B: No problem, I'll go over it with you.
In my last job, my manager would always go over the weekly tasks with the team to make sure we understood our responsibilities.
Common mistake
✗Can you go over with the plan again?
✓Can you go over the plan again?
'Go over + thing' directly — no 'with'.
Tell it apart
Let's go over the contract together.
explain it in detail
The presentation went over well.
was received well
Use 'go over' when you want to explain something clearly, often in a meeting or class.Different from 'go over' meaning to review; here, it means to explain or discuss in detail.
To be accepted, perceived, or reacted to in a particular way by others, especially in terms of approval, popularity, or response.
Her proposal didn't go over well with the board, so they decided to postpone the project.
A: How did your joke go over at the meeting? B: Honestly, it didn't go over very well—most people just looked confused.
If new government policies do not go over well with the public, officials may face significant backlash and pressure to reconsider their approach.
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'.
Tell it apart
The idea went over well.
was received well
Let's go over the idea.
review it
'Go over' in this sense is used to talk about how an idea, suggestion, joke, or action is accepted or responded to by people. It is neutral in register and common in both spoken and written English, especially when discussing reactions or feedback.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.