I'm afraid you have to work overtime.
Source: tatoeba (19153)
Overtime
/ˈəʊ.və.taɪm/
Synonyms for "overtime" (37 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (8)
Noun(4 words)
Strong matches (11)
Related words (18)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: additional, additional period, anchor watch, bit, day shift.
- Sentence evidence is available for overtime, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from opengloss, moby, wordnet, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "overtime".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "overtime"
Keep "overtime" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "overtime" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "overtime", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "overtime" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
10 entriesMore specific
7 entriesdouble overtimeholiday overtimenight overtimepaid overtimesudden death overtimeunpaid overtimeweekend overtime
Collocations
8 entriesmandatory overtimeovertime expensesovertime hoursovertime payovertime policyovertime rateovertime workpaid overtime
Inflections
1 entriesDerivations
3 entriesovertime payovertime rateovertime work
Antonyms
1 entriesregulation time
Translations
59 translations across 29 languages.
Bulgarian
1 entries- извънре́ден труд noun (worktime)
Catalan
1 entries- hora extra noun (worktime)
Chinese Mandarin
1 entries- 加班 noun (worktime)
Czech
1 entries- přesčas noun (worktime)
Esperanto
1 entries- pluslaboro noun (worktime)
Faroese
1 entries- yvirtímar noun (worktime)
Finnish
2 entries- ylityö noun (worktime)
- ylityökorvaus noun (pay for overtime work)
French
1 entries- heures supplémentaires noun (worktime)
Galician
2 entries- hora extra noun (worktime)
- hora extra noun (pay for overtime work)
German
4 entries- Mehrarbeitszuschlag noun (pay for overtime work)
- Zuschlag noun (pay for overtime work)
- Überstunden noun (worktime)
- Überstundenlohn noun (pay for overtime work)
Greek
1 entries- υπερωρία noun (worktime)
Hungarian
2 entries- túlóra noun (worktime)
- túlóra noun (pay for overtime work)
Indonesian
1 entries- uang lembur noun (pay for overtime work)
Italian
3 entries- straordinari noun (worktime)
- straordinario noun (worktime)
- straordinario noun (pay for overtime work)
Japanese
1 entries- 残業 noun (worktime)
Korean
2 entries- 시간외 근무 noun (worktime)
- 시간외 수당 noun (pay for overtime work)
Norwegian Bokmål
3 entries- overtid noun (worktime)
- overtidsbetaling noun (pay for overtime work)
- overtidstillegg noun (pay for overtime work)
Norwegian Nynorsk
3 entries- overtid noun (worktime)
- overtidsbetaling noun (pay for overtime work)
- overtidstillegg noun (pay for overtime work)
Polish
1 entries- nadgodzina noun (worktime)
Portuguese
2 entries- hora extra noun (worktime)
- hora extra noun (pay for overtime work)
Romanian
2 entries- ore suplimentare noun (worktime)
- ore suplimentare plătite noun (pay for overtime work)
Russian
3 entries- сверхуро́чная рабо́та noun (worktime)
- сверхуро́чное вре́мя noun (worktime)
- сверхуро́чные noun (pay for overtime work)
Scottish Gaelic
1 entries- seach-thìm noun (worktime)
Spanish
4 entries- horas extraordinarias noun (worktime)
- horas extraordinarias noun (pay for overtime work)
- horas extras noun (worktime)
- horas extras noun (pay for overtime work)
Swedish
3 entries- övertid noun (worktime)
- övertidsersättning noun (pay for overtime work)
- övertidstillägg noun (pay for overtime work)
Thai
1 entries- การทำโอที noun (worktime)
Turkish
1 entries- fazla mesai noun (worktime)
Ukrainian
2 entries- надуро́чні робо́ти noun (worktime)
- понаднормо́ві noun (pay for overtime work)
Vietnamese
1 entries- tăng ca noun (worktime)
Sample sentences
17 total sentences available.
I exempted her from working overtime.
Source: tatoeba (29047)
John was tired from working overtime.
Source: tatoeba (52599)
Rats! I've got to work overtime again.
Source: tatoeba (63020)
Showing 4 of 17 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "overtime"?
Closest matches include additional, additional period, anchor watch, bit, day shift.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "overtime"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.