overdraft

American  

[oh-ver-draft, -drahft] / ˈoʊ vərˌdræft, -ˌdrɑft /

noun

• overdrafts
  plural

1. an act or instance of overdrawing a checking account.

2. a check overdrawn on a checking account.

3. the amount overdrawn.

4. an excessive drawing on or drawing off of something.

5. a draft made to pass over a fire, as in a furnace.

6. a draft passing downward through a kiln.

7. 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.

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overdraft British  

/ ˈəʊvəˌdrɑːft /

noun

1. a draft or withdrawal of money in excess of the credit balance on a bank or building-society cheque account

2. the amount of money drawn or withdrawn thus

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overdraft Cultural  

1. The amount by which a check exceeds the funds on deposit to cover it.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• overdrafts
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of overdraft

First recorded in 1875–80; over- + draft

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

overdraft overdrafts

"I've never had an overdraft in thirty years," he said.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

The list of expenses goes on: credit-card debts, overdraft fees, interest on loans, funeral costs, unpaid taxes, administration fees for the estate.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026

That same month “was the first month I didn’t overdraft my credit card,” he said, with the majority of his income today coming from the restaurant.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026

In the two years after his first Rabo loan, McClain fell into overdraft dozens of times, sometimes almost daily.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026

Ashamed for not understanding why we were always paying late fees and overdraft charges.

From "Free Lunch" by Rex Ogle

"We get lots of clients coming in struggling with credit cards, loans, overdrafts, council tax, their rent, mortgage," says Blake Harmer, the Citizens Advice supervisor.

From BBC ● May 4, 2026

Having secured this approval, Revolut will now be able to offer protected deposit accounts and roll out a range of new services, including loans and overdrafts, at scale.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 11, 2026

Now for the truly hilarious part: U.S. banks get free intraday overdrafts from the Fed.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 31, 2025

Another is guidance issued in 2022 instructing banks not to process debit-card transactions and deposits in an order that would generate unexpected overdrafts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 12, 2024

In order to avoid overdrafts, the customer in this country agrees with his banker on what is known as a "line," that is, a maximum amount of loans or discounts to be allowed.

From Banking by William A. Scott

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