This is a question that always pops into the heads of those who learned Associated Press style before 2014. Even when we see someone use the word “over” in copy today, our brains often raise a red flag. However, AP now allows us to use these terms interchangeably when talking about quantities.
For example, both of these are correct, and you also could switch them:
- More than $5 billion in federal funding for sanitation will be doled out to homeless shelters this month.
- Over 20,000 sailors will attend the Pearl Harbor Day of Remembrance.
So, if you’re following AP style, you’re allowed to use both. But you may have some sticklers on your style guide advisory board, and we fully support defining your own style to prefer “more than.”