hover

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hov·er / ˈhəvər/ • v. [intr.] remain in one place in the air: army helicopters hovered overhead. ∎  remain poised in one place, typically with slight but undirected movement: her hand hovered over the console. ∎  (of a person) wait or linger close at hand in a tentative or uncertain manner: she hovered anxiously in the background. ∎  remain at or near a particular level: inflation will hover around the 4 percent mark. ∎  remain in a state that is between two specified states or kinds of things: his expression hovered between cynicism and puzzlement.• n. [in sing.] an act of remaining in the air in one place.DERIVATIVES: hov·er·er n.