overtime

American  

[oh-ver-tahym, oh-ver-tahym] / ˈoʊ vərˌtaɪm, ˌoʊ vərˈtaɪm /

noun

1. working time before or after one's regularly scheduled working hours; extra working time.

2. pay for such time (distinguished from straight time).

3. time in excess of a prescribed period.

4. Sports. an additional period of play for deciding the winner of a game in which the contestants are tied at the end of the regular playing period.

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adverb

1. during overtime.

   to work overtime.

adjective

1. of or for overtime.

   overtime pay.

verb (used with object)

overtimed, overtiming

1. to give too much time to (a photographic exposure).

overtime British  

noun

1. 1. work at a regular job done in addition to regular working hours

   2. ( as modifier )

      overtime pay

2. the rate of pay established for such work

3. time in excess of a set period

4. sport extra time

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adverb

1. beyond the regular or stipulated time

verb

1. (tr) to exceed the required time for (a photographic exposure)

Etymology

Origin of overtime

First recorded in 1530–40; over- + time

Explanation

Overtime is the amount of time you work beyond your regular hours. If your boss asks you to work over 40 hours one week, that's overtime and you should demand extra pay. You can use this word as a noun or an adjective, as in overtime pay or overtime hours. At some workplaces, working overtime earns you more than the normal hourly salary. In other cases, full time employees are expected to work overtime without any extra pay. In sports, overtime is when play goes longer than the usual time — more than nine innings in a baseball game, or more than a twenty-minute half in basketball, for example.

Example Sentences

Overtime pay only generates a tax break if it is required by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

One league Bell played in—OT7—was part of Overtime, a startup funded by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, venture-capital firm Andreessen Horowitz and others.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025

Overtime for Los Angeles police officers, and any other major expenses, would be acutely felt by a city government that recently closed a nearly $1-billion budget deficit, in part by slowing police hiring.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 2, 2025

What feels like a moment between when Mark S. clocked out for the MDR employees' rule-breaking "Overtime Contingency" mission and his return to the office is, in truth, a pause that lasted months.

From Salon • Mar. 19, 2025

Overtime, I prefer “Skip” to “Skippy,” and “Skip” it is.

From "The Misfits" by James Howe