overtime
overtime Lexical Profile
overtime Game Scores & Validity
• noun
Time worked in addition to one's normal scheduled working hours, or the extra payment received for such work.
"Many nurses put in several hours of overtime each week when the hospital is short-staffed."
North American An extra period of play added at the end of a game to break a tie score when regulation time expires.
"The championship basketball game remained tied at the buzzer and went into overtime."
• adverb
Beyond the normal or scheduled working hours, or with extra effort and intensity.
"The engineering team worked overtime to resolve the software outage before Monday morning."
• adjective
Relating to, performed during, or paid for time worked beyond regular hours, or occurring during an extra period of play in a sport.
"The company increased its budget to cover overtime wages during the busy holiday season."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse the single-word compound "overtime" (extra hours worked or extra playing time in sports) with the two-word prepositional phrase "over time" (gradually across a span of time).
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.