Overtime is extra time beyond the normal amount, whether in work or sports.

In the workplace, overtime means hours worked beyond a standard schedule, often around 40 hours per week. Many employees earn overtime pay at a higher rate, often time-and-a-half (getting paid for 1.5 hours of work for each extra hour worked). A factory worker putting in overtime might work 50 hours in a week instead of 40. Doctors, nurses, and emergency workers often work overtime when hospitals get busy or emergencies arise.

In sports, overtime is an extra period added when a game ends in a tie. Basketball, football, and hockey all use overtime to determine a winner. In sudden death overtime, the first team to score wins immediately. In other formats, teams play a full extra period. Some championship games have gone into double or triple overtime, with exhausted players battling until someone finally scores.

The word captures that sense of pushing beyond normal limits: working overtime on a big project, or a tied soccer match going into overtime. Either way, overtime means the regular time wasn't enough, so more time gets added to finish the job or settle the score.