hovers

Hovers is the third-person singular present tense form of the verb hover, and it is used to describe instances in which something remains suspended or stationary in air or near a surface. The broader concept of hovering encompasses natural phenomena, mechanical systems, and digital interfaces where position is maintained with minimal net movement.

Natural hovering occurs in biological systems. Insects such as hummingbirds and dragonflies suspend their bodies in midair by rapid wing movements and precise control of lift and thrust. Hummingbirds can hold a position while feeding; dragonflies may hover during prey capture or perching.

Mechanical hovering involves aircraft and other vehicles that maintain a fixed position relative to the ground or water. Rotorcraft such as helicopters and multirotor drones generate lift with rotating blades to balance weight at low forward speeds. Hovercraft use a downward jet of air to form a cushion that reduces contact with the surface, enabling near-static positioning above land or water. Some VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft transition from hovering to forward flight by adjusting lift and thrust vectors.

In digital interfaces, hover denotes the state when a pointer or cursor rests over an element without clicking. Hover styles in CSS and related technologies change appearance or reveal tooltips and menus, though such interactions can be less accessible on touch devices.

Outside technical contexts, hovering also appears in everyday language to describe temporary suspension or sustained attention, such as a bird hovering near a feeder or a drone lingering over a work site.