verb
-
to pay (someone) at too high a rate
-
to pay (someone) more than is due, as by an error
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
overpaysimple
-
overpayssimple
-
have overpaidperfect
-
has overpaidperfect
-
am overpayingprogressive
-
are overpayingprogressive
-
is overpayingprogressive
-
have been overpayingperfect progressive
-
has been overpayingperfect progressive
Past
-
overpaidsimple
-
had overpaidperfect
-
was overpayingprogressive
-
were overpayingprogressive
-
had been overpayingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of overpay
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.
See Examples For:
Many of us overpay on taxes and then wait for a large refund in April.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
BBD is also a cautionary reminder to Major League general managers not to overpay players whose best years are behind them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
Regulatory guardrails embedded in FHA and VA loans such as strict fee caps help protect lower-income borrowers from taking extremely overpriced loans, but many wealthy buyers frequently overpay.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
Borrowers who are highly qualified are often more likely to overpay because their lack of approval anxiety suppresses the motivation to comparison shop, according to the research.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
My half is $200, and I’m relieved, because it means Babs didn’t overpay me when she fronted me the money the other day.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
The two biggest contracts of the offseason, signed by first baseman Eric Hosmer and pitcher Yu Darvish, already look like overpays, as neither has impressed this year.
From Slate ● Aug. 7, 2018
Typically the acquirer overpays for the synergies on offer, exaggerates or overestimates them in its lust to justify a deal, or botches the subsequent integration of the organisations.
From Economist ● Nov. 13, 2014
If he overpays for a player who wins Arsenal the league then it has got to be worth it.
From BBC ● Dec. 31, 2013
He overpays or dotes on them, creates an entitled atmosphere.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 13, 2013
I have received your letter of the 23d, and it certainly overpays me, when you thank instead of scolding me, as I feared.
From The Letters of Horace Walpole, Earl of Orford — Volume 4 by Walpole, Horace
If it did not withhold the appropriate amount, that may explain why the SSA is now claiming it overpaid you.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 24, 2026
If she doesn’t, she could later receive bills accusing her of having been overpaid by Social Security.
From Salon ● Apr. 29, 2026
"Any tax that would have not been paid or underpaid by the company paying the dividend… would then have been overpaid by Richard himself in the form of income tax", Yusuf said.
From BBC ● Apr. 12, 2026
In 2019, Buffett said he had overpaid to help form Kraft Heinz.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026
What we often hear applied to others figuratively, was strictly applicable to him; he never knew the value of money; he never knew that anything one desired could be overpaid for.
From Davenport Dunn, Volume 2 (of 2) A Man Of Our Day by Lever, Charles James
The consistency of United's messaging is being articulated in a summer where they are keen to prove they will not be bullied into overpaying to get deals over the line.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
If employers are lax in their oversight, workers might find themselves overpaying to invest in funds that underperform.
From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026
But whether it’s overpaying in restricted free agency or working out a sign-and-trade deal, pry him away from the Jazz.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 28, 2026
All profit assumptions are subject to the delete key, so be careful about overpaying for the future.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 12, 2026
"The money will be very acceptable, but I am afraid you will be overpaying me."
From Andy Grant's Pluck by Alger, Horatio
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.
