overtime

noun

over·​time ˈō-vər-ˌtīm 

1

: time in excess of a set limit: such as

a

: working time in excess of a standard day or week

b

: an extra period of play in a contest

2

: the wage paid for overtime

overtime adverb

Examples of overtime in a Sentence

I worked two hours of overtime last week.

He was doing a lot of overtime to save for his vacation.

How much did you earn last month in overtime?

The game went into overtime.

They lost the game in overtime.

Recent Examples on the Web

San Jose and Vegas both finished the regular season with 39 wins, but San Jose had 86 points, nine fewer than the Golden Knights, who took nine more games to overtime. —Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 2 June 2026

Then, this past winter, Werenski and Team USA won gold again with a stirring overtime win over Canada. —Aaron Portzline, New York Times, 2 June 2026

What that means is that the money earned by working overtime might be fully accessible in one state and effectively off-limits in another. —Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 1 June 2026

Kott spoke about how the open positions could lead to officer overtime and burnout. —Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 1 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1791, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing overtime

• overtime pay
• work overtime

Rhymes for overtime

• aforetime
• allozyme
• anytime
• christmastime
• cybercrime
• dinnertime
• guggenheim
• isozyme
• lysozyme
• maritime
• mesenchyme
• pantomime

Kids Definition

overtime

noun

over·​time ˈō-vər-ˌtīm 

1

: time beyond a set limit

especially : working time beyond a standard day or week

2

: the wage paid for overtime

overtime adverb or adjective