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

At the end of the three weeks, the teams that haven’t added on must overpay for someone before the deadline, as the Cubs did with Marcus Stroman’s three-year, $71 million deal just before the last lockout began in December 2021. — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 9 Nov. 2026

More than 200,000 property owners in the county are set to receive property tax credits for overpaying due to the errors. — Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 30 Oct. 2026

What habits help shoppers find the best deals online and avoid overpaying? — Ashley Lynch, Miami Herald, 27 Oct. 2026

The implication was that his predecessor Scott Stuber had overpaid for talent and too-ambitiously committed to a new Netflix movie release every week in 2022. — Matt Donnelly, Variety, 20 Oct. 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