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

The emergency agency also overpaid expenses capped at $9,000 to the tune of nearly $760,000. —Paul Bedard, Washington Examiner, 28 Aug. 2023

Jaime Brooks, a musician and cultural commentator, said that since most listeners spend about $10 per month for unlimited access to everything on services like Spotify, those who purchase downloads are overpaying with purpose. —Marc Tracy, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2023

In a lawsuit, an advocacy group called Health Justice Initiative argued that speculation was rife that the South African government may have overpaid without access to more details on terms or pricing. —Ed Silverman, STAT, 17 Aug. 2023

Failing to save enough money weighed more on Americans’ conscience than overpaying on their mortgage, education, or credit card purchases. —Byjane Thier, Fortune, 8 Aug. 2023

As the guidelines and unemployment insurance programs changed throughout the pandemic, more than 1.8 million Michigan residents were later told they were overpaid and owed the money back. —Emily Lawler, Detroit Free Press, 6 June 2023

In February, The Post published an investigation that found that the Housing Authority overpays landlords by millions of dollars every year. —Steve Thompson, Washington Post, 5 May 2023

Friedman is yet to show the willingness to overpay for a player, even if that player would drastically improve the team’s chances of winning a championship. —Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 2 Aug. 2023

Actually, everybody's probably overpaid at the top end. —CBS News, 16 July 2023

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Word History

First Known Use

1664, in the meaning defined above