overpay

verb

over·​pay ˌō-vər-ˈpā 

overpaid ˌō-vər-ˈpād  ; overpaying

transitive + intransitive

: to pay too much to someone or for something

… the debate over whether organic foods are a smart choice for healthier living or a marketing tool that gulls people into overpaying.

—Kenneth Chang

It took my husband and me an hour with a representative to figure out we were overpaying for insurance and unlimited data plans.

—Tanisha A. Sykes

Be careful not to overpay state taxes.

—Carl T. Hall

We are not overpaying people; we are paying people what the market demands.

—Renee Glover

overpaid adjective

… fuels the negative stereotype of the overpaid underworked bureaucrat.

—Joann S. Lublin

Examples of overpay in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Mount Ida Mayor Vann Morgan was arrested Tuesday after, auditors said, he was overpaid by more than $94,000 over a 17-month period. —Arkansas Online, 6 Nov. 2025

Evers administration officials said because of the abrupt policy change, the rate at which benefits are overpaid or underpaid could be higher. —Molly Beck, jsonline.com, 4 Nov. 2025

With plans typically starting around $100 per month for 2 Gbps and reaching $300 or more for 10 Gbps connections, upgrading to a multigig plan may mean overpaying for unused capacity. —Roxanne Downer, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2025

And is NBCUniversal content boss Donna Langley overpaying for his talents? —Josef Adalian, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1664, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for overpay

• aaa
• adonais
• alleyway
• alumnae
• anime
• anyway
• arete
• attache
• baa
• beaujolais
• bouvier
• breakaway