overtime

overtime — adverb

1. for longer than the normal hours of someone's job.

1.adverbB2
Definition

for longer than the normal hours of someone's job.

Example

Nina worked overtime all week to finish the tax reports.

pattern: work overtime

Two nurses stayed overtime after the bus crash downtown.

pattern: stay overtime

Common collocations
  • work overtime
  • stay overtime
  • run overtime
Synonyms
  • late

    is broader and can describe any activity after the usual time, not only job hours

  • extra

    can suggest doing more, but it does not specifically point to work hours

  • beyond schedule

    sounds more formal and is less fixed in everyday speech

Antonyms
  • on time

    means within the planned hours rather than beyond them

Grammar Patterns

work overtime

stay overtime

Usage Note

Usually follows verbs such as work, stay, or run. Distinguish from noun/1 and noun/2, where overtime names the extra hours themselves or the money for them.

Common Mistakes

Nina did overtime late.
Nina worked overtime late.
this adverb sense usually follows a work verb such as 'work' or 'stay'.

2. during an added part of a game after the usual playing time ends with no winner.

2.adverb
Definition

during an added part of a game after the usual playing time ends with no winner.

Example

Taipei High beat Kaohsiung Central in overtime with a last-minute shot.

pattern: beat [team] in overtime

The Lions finally scored in overtime after ninety tense minutes.

pattern: score in overtime

Common collocations
  • win overtime
  • lose overtime
  • score overtime
Synonyms
Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

win overtime

lose overtime

play overtime

Usage Note

Used after verbs of winning, losing, scoring, or playing. Distinguish from noun/3, where overtime is the extra period itself: 'The game went into overtime.'

overtime — noun

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For noun/1, overtime usually means working hours beyond a person's normal schedule, especially in jobs with fixed shifts or office hours. Extra hours is the plainest near-synonym and works well in everyday speech. Additional hours is more formal and often appears in notices, contracts, or HR writing. Extended hours is wider: it may describe a store staying open longer, not only workers staying longer. Double shift is narrower and stronger, because it suggests working two full shifts back to back, not just one or two extra hours. Say 'I did overtime on Saturday' for ordinary extra work, but 'She worked a double shift at the hospital' for a much longer stretch.

extra hoursadditional hoursextended hoursdouble shift

Etymology

English

Overtime is a compound built from over and time. It first referred to time beyond a set limit, then became especially common for extra hours at work and later for the added period used in sports when a game is still tied.