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Glite Dictionary
to tick over

to tick over

1 7.0
To keep running quietly at a low steady speed when not doing much
  • phrasal verb
  • UK
translation icon : funcionar
  • The quad-core chipset keeps things ticking over very nicely, although there were a few jitters when flicking speedily through the widget-laden homescreens.

It's just to keep your habit ticking over.

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Examples

  • Even when business is slow, we need to keep the operations ticking over to maintain cash flow.

  • During the winter months, the farm ticks over with minimal staff and only essential tasks.

  • We keep the place ticking over just in case.

    Chéri (2009)

  • We keep things ticking over.

    Welcome to the Punch (2013)

  • With thousands laid off, strike bound, and production barely ticking over, millions of vital pounds being lost in export orders.

    Made in Dagenham (2010)

  • He prefers to let his investments tick over rather than make any drastic changes.

Synonyms

to idle
vsto tick over
  • Specialized
2 5.3

To run at low speed while not moving

applies to steady low operation in many situations, not only engine states
on cruise control
vsto tick over
  • Informal
1 5.5

Work continues with little effort because things are steady

is steady low activity that does not imply automatic hands-off control

How Active

to rev
14 4.9
to run
∞ 2.2
to tick over
  • UK
1 7.0
to idle
  • Specialized
2 5.3

Surface Forms

tick over infinitive
ticked over past
ticked over past participle
ticking over present participle
ticks over third person singular

Morphology

tick + over

There is a detectable link between 'tick' (make regular short sounds/movements) and 'over' (continuation), so a learner could infer that something is continuing to run or operate quietly. However, the specific phrasal-verb usage referring to an engine idling or running at a low steady rate is somewhat idiomatic and context-bound, so the full sense is not reliably predictable without prior exposure.

Etymology

Tick over comes from the gentle ticking of a clock or a quiet engine when it is running but not working hard. The word tick gives a picture of small, steady sounds and over shows it keeps going, so it now means 'to keep running slowly without doing much'.