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

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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

Rice caught six passes for 39 yards in that game, a 25-22 overtime win over the San Francisco 49ers on Feb. 11, 2024.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026

The new sheriff also will be expected to rein in the department’s budget, which has experienced ballooning overtime costs as sworn vacancies have risen markedly under both sheriffs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026

At the last biodiversity summit in Colombia in 2024, talks ran overtime as nations haggled over conservation finance and ended without a deal.

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026

McCarthy led the New York Giants to a 27-21 overtime win against the Houston Texans in his first start with the team.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026

Sometimes he is paid overtime for the extra hours, sometimes not.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

The action raced like an overtimed kinetoscopic film.

From A Man to His Mate by Stockton Mulford

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