work overtime

idiom

: to spend time working at one's job in addition to one's normal working hours

—often used figuratively

Her imagination was working overtime.

He's been working overtime around the house to please his wife.

Examples of work overtime in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Fortunately, the charisma of the show's stars – such as Caity Lotz, Brandon Routh, and Dominic Purcell – work overtime to compensate for the noticeable shortcomings, keeping the viewers invested in what's on screen even as the series stumbles through an initial and very public identity crisis. —Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 21 Jan. 2026

Her adrenal gland would begin to work overtime and she’d be lifted up, energized, hunted, and desperate to outwit her attacker and survive. —Literary Hub, 14 Jan. 2026

Change filters regularly to keep the air clean and to prevent the HVAC system from having to work overtime to force air through a clogged filter. —Timothy Dale, The Spruce, 12 Jan. 2026

Plush and smooth, the mask’s 100-percent mulberry silk composition will not only promote the sweetest and most indulgent of slumbers but also work overtime to curb bedhead and fine lines — similar to the powers of the best silk pillowcases. —Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 6 Jan. 2026

Rhymes for work overtime

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