surcharge

[ noun sur-chahrj; verb sur-chahrj, sur-chahrj ]

noun

1. an additional charge, tax, or cost.
2. an excessive sum or price charged.
3. an additional or excessive load or burden.
4. Philately.
   1. an overprint that alters or restates the face value or denomination of a stamp to which it has been applied.
   2. a stamp bearing such an overprint.
5. act of surcharging.

verb (used with object)

, sur·charged, sur·charg·ing.

1. to subject to an additional or extra charge, tax, cost, etc. (for payment).
2. to overcharge for goods.
3. to show an omission in (an account) of something that operates as a charge against the accounting party; to omit a credit toward (an account).
4. Philately. to print a surcharge on (a stamp).
5. to put an additional or excessive burden upon.

surcharge

noun

1. a charge in addition to the usual payment, tax, etc
2. an excessive sum charged, esp when unlawful
3. an extra and usually excessive burden or supply
4. law the act or an instance of surcharging
5. an overprint that alters the face value of a postage stamp

verb

1. to charge an additional sum, tax, etc
2. to overcharge (a person) for something
3. to put an extra physical burden upon; overload
4. to fill to excess; overwhelm
5. law to insert credits that have been omitted in (an account)
6. to overprint a surcharge on (a stamp)

Derived Forms

• surˈcharger, noun

Other Words From

• sur·charger noun
• unsur·charged adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of surcharge¹

1400–50; late Middle English surchargen (v.) < Old French surcharger. See sur- ¹, charge

Example Sentences

Germany made an important change late last year, freeing green hydrogen producers from paying certain surcharges on electricity.

From MIT Technology Review

We are reassured that your report does not support assertions that the CPUC failed to collect $200 million in fees and surcharges from our regulated entities.

From ProPublica

Cash donations help pay for taxes, ticket fees and fuel surcharges.

From Washington Post

For certain surcharges and fees, the CPUC allows companies to self-report what they owe and does not track whether they have paid.

From ProPublica

A large portion of the fees were collected as surcharges on customer bills, particularly phone bills, to fund vital assistance programs for poor and disabled people.

From ProPublica

The company makes money by adding a 15 percent surcharge to the price of the meal.

From The Daily Beast

The devil was predictably in the details, with a surcharge on the rich and a call to end the state and local tax deduction.

From The Daily Beast

On this explanation the Central Authority (whilst upholding the auditor's decision in point of law) remitted the surcharge.

From Project Gutenberg

As to the surcharge, I'll take care of that A beautiful creature, is not she, Mary?

From Project Gutenberg

Their income is mainly derived from the local rate, a surcharge of one-twelfth on the land revenue.

From Project Gutenberg

The sum of the errors of an assay, which is called the surcharge, is reported in the same way.

From Project Gutenberg

It is stated that the surcharge was made up in its peculiar form so as to prevent counterfeiting by the use of ordinary type.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• expense
• payment
• surtax
• tax