overpayment
noun
over·pay·ment
ˌō-vər-ˈpā-mənt 
plural overpayments
: payment that exceeds what is necessary
overpayment of taxes
… implemented electronic payrolls for all employees to prevent overpayment …—
Jocelyn Brumbaugh
Jocelyn Brumbaugh
also
: an amount that is paid in excess
… two taxpayers could not get refunds of tax overpayments dating back more than four years … —Samantha McCaughren
Samantha McCaughren Examples of overpayment in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Customers should see reduced bills, with the settlement money going toward the overpayments previously made.
—Kyle Martin, Mercury News, 22 Sep. 2025
According to a recent report from the Government Accountability Office, improper billing practices cost taxpayers $100 billion in Medicare and Medicaid overpayments in 2023.
—Gretchen Morgenson, NBC news, 19 Sep. 2025
The source close to Williams said that Hopkins, Pryor, Williams and another person traveled to Colo’s to discuss the overpayment and that Hopkins had presented the details to McCree.
—Joe Rubin, Sacbee.com, 19 Sep. 2025
The primary metric used to track the effectiveness of a state’s SNAP program is the payment error rate, defined as the percentage of overpayments, underpayments, and payments issued to ineligible households.
—Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overpayment
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Kyle Martin, Mercury News, 22 Sep. 2025
According to a recent report from the Government Accountability Office, improper billing practices cost taxpayers $100 billion in Medicare and Medicaid overpayments in 2023.
—Gretchen Morgenson, NBC news, 19 Sep. 2025
The source close to Williams said that Hopkins, Pryor, Williams and another person traveled to Colo’s to discuss the overpayment and that Hopkins had presented the details to McCree.
—Joe Rubin, Sacbee.com, 19 Sep. 2025
The primary metric used to track the effectiveness of a state’s SNAP program is the payment error rate, defined as the percentage of overpayments, underpayments, and payments issued to ineligible households.
—Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for overpayment
Cite this Entry
“Overpayment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overpayment. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share