(1) To move the pointer (cursor) over an object on screen such as an icon, hyperlink or menu and hold it there. If the pointer hovers over a link, the pointer changes its shape to alert the user. See definition #2 below and
hypertext.
(2) (mouseover) A JavaScript instruction that tests the current position of the mouse. It is used to change the appearance of a button that has been selected. Two buttons are created by the developer: one in the normal state; the other altered to alert the user that it has been selected. In the early days of personal computers, it used to simulate the depression of a physical button but has since evolved to mostly a color change. The JavaScript statement that starts with the code "on mouseover" displays the altered image. See
button.