# overdue

/ˈoʊvɝˈdu/ (US) · /ˌəʊvədjˈuː/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/overdue
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. late or past a deadline

adjective · CEFR B2

not done, paid, or returned by the time it was supposed to be.

For teachers: past the scheduled or required time for arrival, payment, or completion.

- The library book is two weeks overdue, so I will have to pay a fine.
- The report is now significantly overdue, and the board is demanding an immediate explanation for the delay in production.

### 2. needed for a long time

adjective · CEFR B2

used to say that something should have happened a long time ago.

For teachers: expected or required for a considerable time but not yet occurred; often used to emphasize that a change is necessary.

- A holiday is long overdue after all the hard work you have done this year.
- The promotion was long overdue, as she had been performing the duties of a senior manager for over eighteen months without the title.

### 3. a late item or payment

noun · CEFR C1 · Formal · Technical

a book, bill, or other item that is past its due date.

For teachers: a specific item, such as a library book or an invoice, that has not been returned or settled by the deadline.

- The office sent out notices to everyone who had overdues on their accounts.
- The librarian spent the afternoon processing overdues and contacting patrons whose borrowed materials were more than a month late.

## Examples

- The library book is overdue by two weeks.
- I received a final notice in the mail today because my electricity bill is seriously overdue.
- While the reforms were technically overdue by several decades, the sudden implementation caused significant friction among the older members of the administrative staff.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.