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 Brewers know buyers typically overpay at the deadline. —Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 27 May 2026

Buying blind almost always means overpaying or under-filtering. —Ryan Brennan may 26, Miami Herald, 26 May 2026

Duren’s All-NBA nod might make it that much harder for the Pistons not to overpay him. —Bryan Toporek, Forbes.com, 25 May 2026

Locking him in would keep a solid special teams player and veteran voice on the roster, but the Hawks shouldn’t overpay to retain him. —Kalen Lumpkins, Chicago Tribune, 23 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1664, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for overpay

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