overstay
Americanverb (used with object)
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overstays,
present (3rd person singular)
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overstayed,
past participle, past
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overstaying
present participle
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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:
“What triggers us to sell a stock is seeing fatigue in the fundamental growth profile. You don’t overstay your welcome.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
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
Likewise, a visa overstay isn’t a foreign mission.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 2026
Peter says the international shearing community is a "happy family" who are "not going to overstay their welcome".
From BBC ● Mar. 19, 2026
“Sorry. Homeland Security doesn’t like it if you overstay your visa.”
From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon
ICE detention data show that about 40% of detainees were being held for civil immigration violations including visa overstays and work visa violations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
This agency covered all aspects of immigration law, including visa fraud, visa overstays and the arrest and removal of people illegally in the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026
Visa overstays by Indians have remained steady at 1.5% since 2016.
From BBC ● Feb. 16, 2025
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
Forfeiture of ration is made when a soldier overstays furlough.
From Military Instructors Manual by Oliver Schoonmaker
Yiannopoulos, 41, legally entered the United States through New York City in May 2019 but overstayed his visa, DHS said.
From Salon ● Aug. 29, 2026
That work concluded in 2023, meaning the market had overstayed its welcome by around three years, according to Myerhoff.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 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
It’s a weak joke that’s overstayed its welcome, but it’s fine.
From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell
Now, the government is planning to increase the number of employees at the Immigration Services Agency by about 230 people, aiming to strengthen enforcement against foreigners illegally overstaying.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
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
Charli XCX said the film deals with "the lifespan of art, the idea of... overstaying your welcome in a cultural space".
From Barron's ● Feb. 14, 2026
ICE accused Clarke of overstaying his visa and arrested him.
From Slate ● Dec. 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.
