overpay
/'ouvə'pei/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb:
- To pay too much: To give more money than is required, fair, or appropriate for a product, service, debt, or salary.
Usage
- The verb "overpay" is used to describe the action of paying an excessive amount. It is a transitive verb, typically requiring a direct object (e.g., overpay a person, a bill, a tax). Its past tense and past participle form is overpaid.
- It is often used in financial, commercial, and employment contexts to indicate an error or an imbalance in payment.
Examples
- Verb:
- I think I overpaid the taxi driver because I didn't have the correct change.
- The company realized it had been overpaying its supplier for years due to an accounting error.
- If you don't negotiate, you might overpay for that car.
Advanced Usage
- "to be overpaid" (passive voice): To receive excessive payment or salary.
- Many people believe that professional athletes are grossly overpaid.
- "overpay for something": To pay an amount for a specific item that is higher than its value.
- You overpaid for that phone; you could have gotten it much cheaper online.
Variants and Related Words
- Overpayment (noun): An instance of paying too much; the excess amount paid.
- The customer received a refund for the overpayment.
- Overpaid (adjective): Describing a person or position that receives excessive compensation.
- He resigned from his overpaid but meaningless job.
Synonyms
- Pay excessively
- Pay over the odds (idiomatic, chiefly British)
Antonyms
- Underpay: To pay too little.
Related Phrases
- "to overpay one's taxes": To pay more tax than is legally owed.
- You will get a refund if you overpay your taxes.
- "to feel overpaid": To have a subjective sense of receiving more compensation than one's work merits.
- Despite the high salary, she felt overpaid and undervalued in her role.