overtime

American  

[oh-ver-tahym, oh-ver-tahym] / ˈoʊ vərˌtaɪm, ˌoʊ vərˈtaɪm /

noun

1. working time before or after one's regularly scheduled working hours; extra working time.

2. pay for such time (distinguished from straight time).

3. time in excess of a prescribed period.

4. Sports. an additional period of play for deciding the winner of a game in which the contestants are tied at the end of the regular playing period.

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adverb

1. during overtime.

   to work overtime.

adjective

1. of or for overtime.

   overtime pay.

verb (used with object)

overtimed, overtiming

1. to give too much time to (a photographic exposure).

overtime British  

noun

1. 1. work at a regular job done in addition to regular working hours

   2. ( as modifier )

      overtime pay

2. the rate of pay established for such work

3. time in excess of a set period

4. sport extra time

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adverb

1. beyond the regular or stipulated time

verb

1. (tr) to exceed the required time for (a photographic exposure)

Etymology

Origin of overtime

First recorded in 1530–40; over- + time

Explanation

Overtime is the amount of time you work beyond your regular hours. If your boss asks you to work over 40 hours one week, that's overtime and you should demand extra pay. You can use this word as a noun or an adjective, as in overtime pay or overtime hours. At some workplaces, working overtime earns you more than the normal hourly salary. In other cases, full time employees are expected to work overtime without any extra pay. In sports, overtime is when play goes longer than the usual time — more than nine innings in a baseball game, or more than a twenty-minute half in basketball, for example.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

overtime overtimed

In April 2024, the Biden administration cleared the way for more than 4 million low-wage workers to collect overtime pay.

From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026

She found a job taking care of disabled people where she was able to work overtime, but the hourly pay was only $17, the benefits were inadequate and there was no opportunity to move up.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

The technology will likely be working overtime during the country’s 250th birthday celebration this weekend.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026

It said there had been "unprecedented" average pay rises and financial incentives offered for "crunch" - a video game industry term for excessive, sometimes unpaid, overtime in the lead-up to a game's release.

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026

Levittown was full of hard workers, hourly wage-earners who eagerly stepped forward for overtime shifts and spent what extra money they had to repave their driveways, build rec rooms, or buy RVs.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove

The action raced like an overtimed kinetoscopic film.

From A Man to His Mate by Mulford, Stockton