overdraft
Americannoun
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an act or instance of overdrawing a checking account.
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a check overdrawn on a checking account.
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the amount overdrawn.
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an excessive drawing on or drawing off of something.
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a draft made to pass over a fire, as in a furnace.
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a draft passing downward through a kiln.
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Metalworking. a tendency of a rolled piece to curve upward after passing through a stand, occurring when the lower roll is faster than the upper.
noun
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a draft or withdrawal of money in excess of the credit balance on a bank or building-society cheque account
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the amount of money drawn or withdrawn thus
Etymology
Origin of overdraft
Vocabulary lists containing overdraft
Personal Finance and Financial Literacy - Introductory
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Personal Finance and Financial Literacy - High School
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Personal Finance and Financial Literacy - Middle School
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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.
The only money rule I knew then was “Don’t overdraft your bank account.”
From Slate • Feb. 19, 2026
Sarah Daniels was constantly in her overdraft after losing her job due to ill health in 2024, eventually ending up £5,000 in the red.
From BBC • Jan. 29, 2026
“We look at things like checking accounts with unemployment flows, direct-deposit amounts, overdraft activity and payment outflows, and we’ve not observed meaningful shifts in trends,” said Wells Fargo CEO Charlie Scharf.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 14, 2026
When credit options contract, households are forced to turn to riskier alternatives with higher overdraft and late fees and less transparent pricing.
From Barron's • Jan. 13, 2026
Ashamed for not understanding why we were always paying late fees and overdraft charges.
From "Free Lunch" by Rex Ogle
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
