overcharge

English

Etymology

From Middle English overchargen, equivalent to over- +‎ charge.

Verb

overcharge (third-person singular simple present overcharges, present participle overcharging, simple past and past participle overcharged)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To charge (somebody) more money than the correct amount or to surpass a certain limit while charging a bill.
2. (transitive) To continue to charge (an electrical device) beyond its capacity.
3. To charge (someone) with an inflated number or degree of legal charges (for example, charging them with a more serious crime than was committed); to upcharge.
   • 2015, Randall G. Shelden, William B. Brown, Karen S. Miller, Randal B. Fritzler, Crime and Criminal Justice in American Society: Second Edition, Waveland Press, →ISBN, page 184:

     The police, fully aware of the reality of plea bargaining, often overcharge (if they don't, then the prosecutor does). The police also may overcharge in order to develop informants.

4. (transitive, dated) To charge or load too heavily; to burden; to oppress.
   • c. 1611, Walter Raleigh, Observations on the Navy and Sea Service:

     it serves to no better use but only to labour and overcharge the ships' sides in any grown seas and foul weather.

5. (transitive, dated) To fill too full; to crowd.
   • October 22, 1706, Alexander Pope, letter to Mr. Walsh

     Our language is naturally overcharged with consonants.

6. (transitive, dated) To exaggerate.

   to overcharge a description

Antonyms

• undercharge

Translations

to charge more than correct amount

• Arabic: please add this translation if you can
• Bulgarian: претоварвам (bg) (pretovarvam)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: please add this translation if you can

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Danish: overtrække
• Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: kiskoa (fi)
• French: surcharger (fr)
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• Greek: υπερχρεώνω (el) (yperchreóno)
• Hebrew: ביצע חיוב יתר m (bitséa khiyúv yéter)
• Hungarian: túlszámláz (hu)
• Italian: please add this translation if you can
• Japanese: ふっかける (ja) (fukkakeru)
• Khmer: please add this translation if you can
• Latin: nimium exigō, nimiō vēndō
• Norman: surchèrgi
• Norwegian: ta for mye betalt
• Portuguese: sobrecarregar (pt)
• Romanian: supraîncărca (ro)
• Russian: назнача́ть завы́шенную це́ну impf (naznačátʹ zavýšennuju cénu)
• Spanish: please add this translation if you can
• Swedish: övertrassera (sv)
• Thai: คิดเงินเกิน
• Turkish: fahiş fiyatla satmak
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can

to overcharge an electric device

• Bulgarian: презареждам (prezareždam)
• French: survolter (fr)
• Greek: υπερφορτίζω (el) (yperfortízo)
• Hungarian: túltölt (hu)
• Russian: перегружа́ть (ru) impf (peregružátʹ), перегрузи́ть (ru) pf (peregruzítʹ)

Noun

overcharge (plural overcharges)

1. An excessive load or burden.
2. An excessive charge in an account.
3. Any amount erroneously charged to a customer above the correct price for a product or service.
   • 1998 January 8, The Dealership (Seinfeld), season 9, episode 11, spoken by Puddy:

     I just left out a couple of things. Rust-proofing, transport charge, storage surcharge, additional overcharge, finder's fee, […] floor mats, keys […]

Translations

an excessive load or burden

• Bulgarian: претоварване n (pretovarvane)
• Russian: перегру́зка (ru) f (peregrúzka)
• Swedish: överbelastning (sv) c

an excessive charge in an account

• Russian: завы́шенная цена́ f (zavýšennaja cená)
• Swedish: övertrassering c