overstay
verb (used with object)
to stay beyond the time, limit, or duration of; outstay.
had overstayed
-
past perfectof overstay.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Over three-quarters of the Ghanaian returnees had overstayed their visas, while all 854 Nigerians were residing in South Africa illegally.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
All had overstayed their visas and were detained as part of an immigration enforcement action, not criminal proceedings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2025
By contrast, ICE, which evolved from the INS interior enforcers, their goal was to find people who had made it past Border Patrol, or who had overstayed a visa, and take those people into custody.
From Slate ● Jul. 21, 2025
Another large group of claimants were people already in the UK who had overstayed their visas.
From BBC ● May 21, 2025
If you didn’t have a pass or if you had overstayed your time, it was still all right if you could outrun the pateroles.
From Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves Arkansas Narratives, Part 3 by Work Projects Administration
