surcharge

American  

[sur-chahrj, sur-chahrj, sur-chahrj] / ˈsɜrˌtʃɑrdʒ, sɜrˈtʃɑrdʒ, ˈsɜrˌtʃɑrdʒ /

noun

surcharges plural

1. an additional charge, tax, or cost.

2. an excessive sum or price charged.

3. an additional or excessive load or burden.

4. Philately.

   1. an overprint that alters or restates the face value or denomination of a stamp to which it has been applied.

   2. a stamp bearing such an overprint.

5. act of surcharging.

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verb (used with object)

surcharges, present (3rd person singular) surcharged, past participle, past surcharging present participle

1. to subject to an additional or extra charge, tax, cost, etc. (for payment).

2. to overcharge for goods.

3. to show an omission in (an account) of something that operates as a charge against the accounting party; to omit a credit toward (an account).

4. Philately. to print a surcharge on (a stamp).

5. to put an additional or excessive burden upon.

surcharge British  

noun

1. a charge in addition to the usual payment, tax, etc

2. an excessive sum charged, esp when unlawful

3. an extra and usually excessive burden or supply

4. law the act or an instance of surcharging

5. an overprint that alters the face value of a postage stamp

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verb

1. to charge an additional sum, tax, etc

2. to overcharge (a person) for something

3. to put an extra physical burden upon; overload

4. to fill to excess; overwhelm

5. law to insert credits that have been omitted in (an account)

6. to overprint a surcharge on (a stamp)

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• surcharger
  noun
• unsurcharged
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• surcharges
  plural

Participles

• surcharging
  present
• surcharged
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• surcharge
  simple
• surcharges
  simple
• have surcharged
  perfect
• has surcharged
  perfect
• am surcharging
  progressive
• are surcharging
  progressive
• is surcharging
  progressive
• have been surcharging
  perfect progressive
• has been surcharging
  perfect progressive

Past

• surcharged
  simple
• had surcharged
  perfect
• was surcharging
  progressive
• were surcharging
  progressive
• had been surcharging
  perfect progressive

Future

• will surcharge
  simple
• will have surcharged
  perfect
• will be surcharging
  progressive
• will have been surcharging
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of surcharge

1400–50; late Middle English surchargen (v.) < Old French surcharger. See sur- ¹, charge

Explanation

A surcharge is an extra amount of money you have to pay when you buy something. If you purchase your concert tickets online instead of at the box office, you'll have to pay a five-dollar surcharge. Any added fee can be called a surcharge, whether it's the surcharge you pay for bringing an extra suitcase on an airplane or the surcharge a business pays every time a customer uses a credit card. As a verb, it means to charge someone an extra fee: "I'm changing banks because mine surcharges me every time I use my card at an ATM." In the 15th century, surcharge meant "overcharge" or "charge too much."

Example Sentences

If you’re hit with an airline surcharge for the emergency flight, ask for a refund.

From MarketWatch • Jul. 9, 2026

Adding insult to injury, he estimates you will have to pay another $1,315 annual income-related monthly adjusted amount, or IRMAA, surcharge on your Medicare premiums, bringing your total tax bill to $19,681.

From Barron's • Jun. 24, 2026

Maybe L.A. voters took pity on visitors to their grungy city who are required to pay a surcharge merely to hail an Uber from Los Angeles International Airport.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 7, 2026

Postal Service is charging an 8% fee on certain packages, its first fuel surcharge ever.

From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2026

I’d planned to buy my ticket at the window, but there isn’t time; I’ll have to buy it on the train and pay the surcharge.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

Related Words

• expense
• payment
• surtax
• tax