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

Since 1976, Consumers’ Checkbook’s research has found that most families spend more than necessary, often because marketplaces are designed to make overpaying easy and comparison shopping hard. — Kevin Brasler, Washington Post, 14 Sep. 2026

Unger also claimed in the FPPC complaint that the board overpaid for the land, and that an earthquake fault running through it calls into question the feasibility of building there. — Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026

Cramer said investors think Paramount is overpaying, meaning the roadblocks to completing the deal have actually helped the stock. — Alexa Lomonaco, CNBC, 31 Aug. 2026

When a customer overpays, the company shouldn’t treat the refund like a gift card to a mall. — Christopher Elliott, Mercury News, 28 Aug. 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