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
Some were not necessarily controversial: requests to share data on known criminals, encourage people not to overstay their visas, work with the US to receive their own nationals slated for deportation.
From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026
Likewise, a visa overstay isn’t a foreign mission.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 2026
Yusuf said Pakistan had the "highest overstay rates of any country", yet had "routinely refused" to allow these citizens to be returned from the UK.
From BBC ● Feb. 23, 2026
“So we’re going to have to work together to make sure he doesn’t overstay his welcome.”
From "A Monster Calls" by Patrick Ness
In December, the U.S. expanded travel restrictions to include people from more than two dozen African nations, citing concerns about visa overstays and a need for more rigorous vetting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 25, 2026
Visa overstays by Indians have remained steady at 1.5% since 2016.
From BBC ● Feb. 16, 2025
Before “Night Swim” overstays its gimmick — the pool is haunted! — and begins to prune, it plays like the best “dollar baby” ever made.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 5, 2024
But according to data from DHS, F-1- and J-1 visas make up only 3 percent of overstays.
From Slate ● Sep. 25, 2020
There broad-armed oaks, the copses' maze, The cold sea-wind detain; Here sultry Summer overstays When Autumn chills the plain.
From Poems Household Edition by Ralph Waldo Emerson
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
Daniel Adongo, the first Kenyan to play in the NFL, overstayed his visa after his brief career with the Indianapolis Colts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 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
Media provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos has been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement for allegedly overstaying his visa, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
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
ICE accused Clarke of overstaying his visa and arrested him.
From Slate ● Dec. 20, 2025
Still, unlike Boxer, Wilson supports term limits, as a way to infuse fresh blood into the political system and prevent too many over-the-hill incumbents from heedlessly overstaying their time in office.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 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.
