overdraft

noun

over·​draft ˈō-vər-ˌdraft 

1

: an act of overdrawing at a bank : the state of being overdrawn

also : the sum overdrawn

2

: line of credit

Examples of overdraft in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Doing so will cost the 23 million households who have been hit with overdraft fees $5 billion a year. —Aisha Nyandoro, Forbes.com, 16 Apr. 2025

The House approved a Senate resolution nullifying a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule limiting overdraft fees to $5. —Alex Thomas, Arkansas Online, 13 Apr. 2025

Here are some of the top banks for overdraft protection. —Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 28 Mar. 2025

The average fee costs users $27 per overdraft; in 2023 alone, banks earned $5.8 billion from the fees. —Dylan Matthews, Vox, 5 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1812, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for overdraft

• allograft
• autograft
• autographed
• countershaft
• handicraft
• homograft
• hovercraft
• lithographed
• photographed
• rotorcraft
• telegraphed
• understaffed

Kids Definition

overdraft

noun

over·​draft ˈō-vər-ˌdraft 

: an overdrawing of a bank account or the amount overdrawn

Legal Definition

overdraft

noun

over·​draft ˈō-vər-ˌdraft 

1

: the act or result of drawing on a bank account for more than the balance

also : the amount exceeding the balance in an overdraft

2

: a loan or credit extended on a current account especially to established or institutional customers