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

Stromberg said that in recent years, the national share of income tax returns that were overpaid and due either a refund check or future tax credit has been dropping, from 77% in 2017 to 70% in 2022. —Jovi Dai, Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2025

Good quarterbacks are hard to find, and the spring portal window is when teams typically overpay for players at need positions. —Antonio Morales, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025

Republicans have said that the administration may have broken the law by steering millions of dollars to the Hope Florida Foundation from Centene, which entered into talks with the Agency for Health Care Administration after it was overpaid for Medicaid services. —Lawrence Mower, Miami Herald, 12 Apr. 2025

An article published by Health Affairs estimates that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services overpaid as much as $50 billion in 2024. —Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes.com, 12 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1664, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for overpay

• aaa
• adonais
• alleyway
• alumnae
• anime
• anyway
• arete
• attache
• baa
• beaujolais
• bouvier
• breakaway