overcharge

To overcharge means to ask for or bill someone an amount that is too high—exceeding the fair market value or agreed-upon price for goods or services. It implies a discrepancy between what was promised or expected and what is actually being requested in payment. This can happen due to honest mistakes, like a clerical error at checkout, but often it's intentional, representing unfair or deceptive pricing practices.

You might hear about companies overcharging customers for subscriptions they didn't authorize, or contractors overcharging for labor and materials. The term is frequently used in legal contexts when discussing fraud or consumer protection issues. For example: "The company was fined for consistently overcharging its clients."

However, "overcharge" isn't limited to monetary transactions. It can also describe supplying something with too much of a particular input. For instance, you might overcharge an electronic device's battery, potentially damaging it. In this context, it means giving it more electrical charge than is safe or recommended.

So, whether it's about money, electricity, or any other resource, to overcharge is to demand or supply more than what is reasonable, fair, or safe—leading to imbalance and potential harm.