overstay
Americanverb (used with object)
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to stay beyond the time, limit, or duration of; outstay.
to overstay one's welcome.
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Finance. to remain in (the market) beyond the point where a sale would have yielded the greatest profit.
verb
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to stay beyond the time, limit, or duration of
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finance to delay a transaction in (a market) until after the point at which the maximum profit would have been made
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to stay in New Zealand beyond (the period sanctioned by the immigration authorities or the period of a visitor's permit)
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to stay (at a party, on a visit, etc), longer than pleases the host or hostess
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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overstaysimple
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overstayssimple
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have overstayedperfect
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has overstayedperfect
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am overstayingprogressive
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are overstayingprogressive
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is overstayingprogressive
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have been overstayingperfect progressive
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has been overstayingperfect progressive
Past
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overstayedsimple
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had overstayedperfect
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was overstayingprogressive
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were overstayingprogressive
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had been overstayingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of overstay
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:
Wootler said authorities were doing all they could to tackle the growing problem, deporting foreigners who overstay their visa and ensuring those who engage in online crime are "punished by our courts".
From Barron's ● May 17, 2026
It’s true that far too many pop records overstay their welcome, but this one is 29 minutes long and the tracklist includes some older material.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026
Officials cited high visa overstay rates, unreliable civil records, corruption, terrorist activity and a lack of cooperation in accepting deported nationals.
From BBC ● Dec. 16, 2025
“Not overstay your welcome. Rip it and do it and laugh and cry.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2025
“So we’re going to have to work together to make sure he doesn’t overstay his welcome.”
From "A Monster Calls" by Patrick Ness
In December, the U.S. expanded travel restrictions to include people from more than two dozen African nations, citing concerns about visa overstays and a need for more rigorous vetting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 25, 2026
Visa overstays by Indians have remained steady at 1.5% since 2016.
From BBC ● Feb. 16, 2025
Like a comedy sketch that overstays its welcome, “Society” undermines both its caustic intent and its romantic-comedy subplot.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 15, 2024
There is something Leni Riefenstahl-esque about the vision of a despot authoritatively spouting unintelligible — either by design or accident — verbiage, but a little goes a long way, and the scene overstays its welcome.
From New York Times ● Jan. 18, 2023
And must we be altogether drawn overstays to them?
From The Works of Mr. George Gillespie (Vol. 1 of 2) by Gillespie, George
US Homeland Security officials said Soliman was in the country illegally, having overstayed a tourist visa, but that he had applied for asylum in September 2022.
From Barron's ● May 7, 2026
Hans Christian Andersen overstayed his visit to the Dickens family in 1857.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026
A Wisconsin man whose Peruvian wife overstayed her visa blames immigration agents, not the president they work for.
From Slate ● Apr. 1, 2026
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, said that Benjamin, a Chilean national, overstayed his visa by more than two years.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 23, 2025
Holly came by with the check, an unsubtle reminder that we’d overstayed our welcome.
From "Turtles All the Way Down" by John Green
But the level of tension is such that as the chefs battle the clock, the pantry, the rain-delayed customer traffic and people overstaying their welcome, they might as well be performing organ transplants.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
The goal of the EES is for authorities to better detect anyone overstaying in the Schengen area, or people who have been refused entry.
From Barron's ● Feb. 11, 2026
ICE accused Clarke of overstaying his visa and arrested him.
From Slate ● Dec. 20, 2025
The government first accused Marouf of overstaying his visa, the allegation coming via the notice to appear in immigration court that he received during his arrest.
From Salon ● Nov. 20, 2025
The guard opens the door, probably to yell at me for overstaying my welcome, but I’m already making my way out.
From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth
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.
