diff --git a/app/assets/stylesheets/framework/animations.scss b/app/assets/stylesheets/framework/animations.scss
index f1d36efb3debe7baf54fda5348b41d551293d478..8d38fc78a191321666c32f133670c0e4b6fddd58 100644
--- a/app/assets/stylesheets/framework/animations.scss
+++ b/app/assets/stylesheets/framework/animations.scss
@@ -50,3 +50,77 @@
 .pulse {
   @include webkit-prefix(animation-name, pulse);
 }
+
+/*
+* General hover animations
+*/
+
+
+// Sass multiple transitions mixin | https://gist.github.com/tobiasahlin/7a421fb9306a4f518aab
+// Usage:   @include transition(width, height 0.3s ease-in-out);
+// Output:  -webkit-transition(width 0.2s, height 0.3s ease-in-out);
+//          transition(width 0.2s, height 0.3s ease-in-out);
+//
+// Pass in any number of transitions
+@mixin transition($transitions...) {
+  $unfoldedTransitions: ();
+  @each $transition in $transitions {
+    $unfoldedTransitions: append($unfoldedTransitions, unfoldTransition($transition), comma);
+  }
+
+  transition: $unfoldedTransitions;
+}
+
+@function unfoldTransition ($transition) {
+  // Default values
+  $property: all;
+  $duration: $general-hover-transition-duration;
+  $easing: $general-hover-transition-curve; // Browser default is ease, which is what we want
+  $delay: null; // Browser default is 0, which is what we want
+  $defaultProperties: ($property, $duration, $easing, $delay);
+
+  // Grab transition properties if they exist
+  $unfoldedTransition: ();
+  @for $i from 1 through length($defaultProperties) {
+    $p: null;
+    @if $i <= length($transition) {
+      $p: nth($transition, $i);
+    } @else {
+      $p: nth($defaultProperties, $i);
+    }
+    $unfoldedTransition: append($unfoldedTransition, $p);
+  }
+
+  @return $unfoldedTransition;
+}
+
+.btn,
+.side-nav-toggle {
+  @include transition(background-color, border-color, color, box-shadow);
+}
+
+.dropdown-menu-toggle,
+.avatar-circle,
+.header-user-avatar {
+  @include transition(border-color);
+}
+
+.note-action-button .link-highlight,
+.toolbar-btn,
+.dropdown-toggle-caret,
+.fa:not(.fa-bell) {
+  @include transition(color);
+}
+
+a {
+  @include transition(background-color, color, border);
+}
+
+.tree-table td,
+.well-list > li {
+  @include transition(background-color, border-color);
+}
+
+.stage-nav-item {
+  @include transition(background-color, box-shadow);
+}
diff --git a/app/assets/stylesheets/framework/avatar.scss b/app/assets/stylesheets/framework/avatar.scss
index 48827578d9420d4cff5de31bb377f8785767639d..8392b98f0a7cf44ba29e69adeeb45e922cb16897 100644
--- a/app/assets/stylesheets/framework/avatar.scss
+++ b/app/assets/stylesheets/framework/avatar.scss
@@ -52,6 +52,10 @@
     border-radius: 0;
     border: none;
   }
+
+  &:not([href]):hover {
+    border-color: rgba($avatar-border, .2);
+  }
 }
 
 .identicon {
diff --git a/app/assets/stylesheets/framework/header.scss b/app/assets/stylesheets/framework/header.scss
index 72b3fe2016c84d5f0672da60e762018a9cfc85a6..24a1ce2b84d7471ede7cec9b85f9c42233c0fe6d 100644
--- a/app/assets/stylesheets/framework/header.scss
+++ b/app/assets/stylesheets/framework/header.scss
@@ -57,6 +57,14 @@ header {
 
         &.header-user-dropdown-toggle {
           margin-left: 14px;
+
+          &:hover,
+          &:focus,
+          &:active {
+            .header-user-avatar {
+              border-color: rgba($avatar-border, .2);
+            }
+          }
         }
 
         &:hover,
@@ -104,6 +112,7 @@ header {
 
       &:hover {
         background-color: $white-normal;
+        color: $gl-header-nav-hover-color;
       }
     }
   }
@@ -180,6 +189,7 @@ header {
 
         &:hover {
           text-decoration: underline;
+          color: $gl-header-nav-hover-color;
         }
       }
 
@@ -198,7 +208,7 @@ header {
         cursor: pointer;
 
         &:hover {
-          color: darken($color: $gl-text-color, $amount: 30%);
+          color: $gl-header-nav-hover-color;
         }
       }
 
@@ -271,4 +281,5 @@ header {
   float: left;
   margin-right: 5px;
   border-radius: 50%;
+  border: 1px solid $avatar-border;
 }
diff --git a/app/assets/stylesheets/framework/nav.scss b/app/assets/stylesheets/framework/nav.scss
index a292e7686f9a357d5c1af1126b137e3f1d7db51c..401c2d0f6ee6f1b2259cd144e76eaff9d03455ba 100644
--- a/app/assets/stylesheets/framework/nav.scss
+++ b/app/assets/stylesheets/framework/nav.scss
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@
         &:hover,
         &:active,
         &:focus {
-          border-bottom: none;
+          border-color: transparent;
         }
       }
     }
diff --git a/app/assets/stylesheets/framework/variables.scss b/app/assets/stylesheets/framework/variables.scss
index cf9424ea5dd3ed81e073d7f1bb2c165c5e14e002..349cd9c189ec8807c4704b318913be504806ceea 100644
--- a/app/assets/stylesheets/framework/variables.scss
+++ b/app/assets/stylesheets/framework/variables.scss
@@ -102,6 +102,10 @@ $gl-text-red: #d12f19;
 $gl-text-orange: #d90;
 $gl-link-color: #3777b0;
 $gl-grayish-blue: #7f8fa4;
+$gl-gray: $gl-text-color;
+$gl-gray-dark: #313236;
+$gl-header-color: #4c4e54;
+$gl-header-nav-hover-color: #434343;
 
 /*
  * Lists
@@ -172,6 +176,9 @@ $count-arrow-border: #dce0e5;
 $save-project-loader-color: #555;
 $divergence-graph-bar-bg: #ccc;
 $divergence-graph-separator-bg: #ccc;
+$general-hover-transition-duration: 150ms;
+$general-hover-transition-curve: linear;
+
 
 /*
 * Common component specific colors
@@ -530,4 +537,4 @@ Pipeline Graph
 */
 $stage-hover-bg: #eaf3fc;
 $stage-hover-border: #d1e7fc;
-$action-icon-color: #d6d6d6;
+$action-icon-color: #d6d6d6;
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/app/assets/stylesheets/pages/cycle_analytics.scss b/app/assets/stylesheets/pages/cycle_analytics.scss
index 6566f27ea2d0d55da4c0d88350ce9dafd06dcb87..cda069e6c0ef97371fb28c725b88f2ae863e154d 100644
--- a/app/assets/stylesheets/pages/cycle_analytics.scss
+++ b/app/assets/stylesheets/pages/cycle_analytics.scss
@@ -20,6 +20,10 @@
 
     .fa {
       color: $cycle-analytics-light-gray;
+
+      &:hover {
+        color: $gl-text-color;
+      }
     }
 
     .stage-header {
diff --git a/app/assets/stylesheets/pages/issuable.scss b/app/assets/stylesheets/pages/issuable.scss
index 3272a862b858102362cbaf59cbfd0add37b6a572..0ae5dc5c5372c659bfd39bcfb410f2bdc82b9e6c 100644
--- a/app/assets/stylesheets/pages/issuable.scss
+++ b/app/assets/stylesheets/pages/issuable.scss
@@ -154,8 +154,8 @@
     .edit-link {
       color: $gl-text-color;
 
-      &:hover {
-        color: $md-link-color;
+      &:not([href]):hover {
+        color: rgba($avatar-border, .2);
       }
     }
   }
@@ -332,6 +332,10 @@
     &:hover {
       color: $md-link-color;
       text-decoration: none;
+
+      .avatar {
+        border-color: rgba($avatar-border, .2);
+      }
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/app/assets/stylesheets/pages/labels.scss b/app/assets/stylesheets/pages/labels.scss
index 78683c7d574bacaaab23b6f151c09a74301f3762..21d9b4c54ea9c783b360e17eef911066303d54a8 100644
--- a/app/assets/stylesheets/pages/labels.scss
+++ b/app/assets/stylesheets/pages/labels.scss
@@ -203,6 +203,10 @@
     z-index: 3;
     border-radius: $label-border-radius;
     padding: 6px 10px 6px 9px;
+
+    &:hover {
+      box-shadow: inset 0 0 0 80px $label-remove-border;
+    }
   }
 
   .btn {
diff --git a/app/assets/stylesheets/pages/profile.scss b/app/assets/stylesheets/pages/profile.scss
index 8b1976bd92576fa8b8abd90fa6877ce4e293d2c9..722b3006f7c870b12e62e32228aa766dd02b4c42 100644
--- a/app/assets/stylesheets/pages/profile.scss
+++ b/app/assets/stylesheets/pages/profile.scss
@@ -216,8 +216,8 @@
   }
 }
 
-.user-profile {
 
+.user-profile {
   .cover-controls a {
     margin-left: 5px;
   }
@@ -231,8 +231,11 @@
     }
   }
 
-  @media (max-width: $screen-xs-max) {
+  .user-profile-nav {
+    font-size: 0;
+  }
 
+  @media (max-width: $screen-xs-max) {
     .cover-block {
       padding-top: 20px;
     }
@@ -253,6 +256,12 @@
         }
       }
     }
+
+    .user-profile-nav {
+      a {
+        margin-right: 0;
+      }
+    }
   }
 }
 
@@ -271,4 +280,4 @@ table.u2f-registrations {
   .scopes-list {
     padding-left: 18px;
   }
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/app/assets/stylesheets/pages/search.scss b/app/assets/stylesheets/pages/search.scss
index cedd4cb29878506e10e3993d746d3325ca8bcdd9..12bff32bbf38643e3c85d78662ee98cb519adcb0 100644
--- a/app/assets/stylesheets/pages/search.scss
+++ b/app/assets/stylesheets/pages/search.scss
@@ -14,6 +14,20 @@
   }
 }
 
+.search form:hover,
+.file-finder-input:hover,
+.issuable-search-form:hover,
+.search-text-input:hover,
+textarea:hover,
+.form-control:hover {
+  border-color: lighten($dropdown-input-focus-border, 20%);
+  box-shadow: 0 0 4px lighten($search-input-focus-shadow-color, 20%);
+}
+
+input[type="checkbox"]:hover {
+  box-shadow: 0 0 2px 2px lighten($search-input-focus-shadow-color, 20%), 0 0 0 1px lighten($search-input-focus-shadow-color, 20%);
+}
+
 .search {
   margin-right: 10px;
   margin-left: 10px;
diff --git a/app/views/profiles/show.html.haml b/app/views/profiles/show.html.haml
index 2385a90401ef090a2002e071c6a72403b3abe451..c0c82cde2f6cfe39f0735d504abfc5754645221c 100644
--- a/app/views/profiles/show.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/profiles/show.html.haml
@@ -18,7 +18,8 @@
             or change it at #{link_to Gitlab.config.gravatar.host, "http://" + Gitlab.config.gravatar.host}
     .col-lg-9
       .clearfix.avatar-image.append-bottom-default
-        = image_tag avatar_icon(@user, 160), alt: '', class: 'avatar s160'
+        = link_to avatar_icon(@user, 400), target: '_blank' do
+          = image_tag avatar_icon(@user, 160), alt: '', class: 'avatar s160'
       %h5.prepend-top-0
         Upload new avatar
       .prepend-top-5.append-bottom-10
diff --git a/changelogs/unreleased/26207-add-hover-animations.yml b/changelogs/unreleased/26207-add-hover-animations.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..12a69d04717440b091ed22d6c516ef561fdcb8f2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelogs/unreleased/26207-add-hover-animations.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+---
+title: Add various hover animations throughout the application
+merge_request:
+author: