overstay

[ oh-ver-stey ]

/ ˌoʊ vərˈsteɪ /

verb (used with object)

to stay beyond the time, limit, or duration of; outstay: to overstay one's welcome.

Finance. to remain in (the market) beyond the point where a sale would have yielded the greatest profit.

Nearby words

overspin, overspread, overstaff, overstand, overstate, overstay, overstayer, oversteer, overstep, overstitch, overstock

Origin of overstay

First recorded in 1640–50; over- + stay¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for overstay

Some overstay their visas and some, he says, possibly arrive pregnant.
Get Ready to Start Hearing About ‘Executive Amnesty for Anchor Babies’|Eleanor Clift|November 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
By often-cited estimate, fully one-quarter of illegal immigrants arrive legally, but then overstay their visas.
What the Immigration Compromise Reveals|David Frum|April 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Once there are “boots on the ground,” they might get caught in the crossfire and overstay their welcome.
Seize Syria's Chemical Supply Before It's Too Late|Gil Troy|January 31, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The senior official also worries that the Americans could overstay their welcome.
Afghanistan: Mixed Reviews for Obama’s Visit|Sami Yousafzai, Ron Moreau|May 2, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Still, he says, “you can overstay your welcome at the pinnacle.”
Jill Abramson: The NYT's New Executive Editor|Howard Kurtz|June 2, 2011|DAILY BEAST
You will wonder perhaps why I "overstay," since I frankly admit that I'm "fed up" with too much scenery and too much information.
Set in Silver|Charles Norris Williamson and Alice Muriel Williamson
It will be readily believed that George Bertram did not overstay the three months.
The Bertrams|Anthony Trollope
I married Rashborough because it was the best thing that offered, and I did not want to overstay my market.
The Slave of Silence|Fred M. White
Mr. Crisparkle sat with his watch in his hand for about the same period, lest he should overstay his time.
The Mystery of Edwin Drood|Charles Dickens
In three hours the vessel, not to overstay the bounds of neutral hospitality, returned to the ocean.
We Can't Have Everything|Rupert Hughes

British Dictionary definitions for overstay

overstay

/ (ˌəʊvəˈsteɪ) /

verb (tr)

to stay beyond the time, limit, or duration of

finance to delay a transaction in (a market) until after the point at which the maximum profit would have been made

NZ to stay in New Zealand beyond (the period sanctioned by the immigration authorities or the period of a visitor's permit)

overstay one's welcome or outstay one's welcome to stay (at a party, on a visit, etc), longer than pleases the host or hostess

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012