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

Another felt grossly overpaid for her work, but felt like that had more to do with her imposter syndrome than her skill set. —Aditi Shrikant, CNBC, 26 Feb. 2025

However, the activist claims that Phillips overpaid for assets, citing the EPIC NGL acquisition as an example. —Joe Cornell, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025

Which means the left tackles who do reach free agency will be overpaid. —Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 13 Feb. 2025

Amazon originally overpaid on its purchase of MGM in a deal orchestrated by then-MGM board chair Kevin Ulrich. —Justin Kroll, Deadline, 20 Feb. 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