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Glite Dictionary
💸 An extra fee ➕ To add a fee 📬 To print value 💥 To overload
to surcharge

to surcharge

7.0
Make something too full of people or strong feelings
  • verb
  • /ˈsɜrˌtʃɑrdʒ/
  • Archaic
translation icon : sobrecargar
  • After hours of debate, the atmosphere became surcharged with emotion.

Examples

  • He surcharged the container with more water than it could hold.

  • The floodwaters surcharged the streets with debris.

  • The room was surcharged with excitement before the results were announced.

  • They surcharged the room with decorations for the party.

  • After hours of debate, the atmosphere became surcharged with emotion.

  • The room was surcharged with excitement before the results were announced.

  • He surcharged the container with more water than it could hold.

Synonyms

to charge
vsto surcharge
54 4.1

Fill a place with strong feeling or energy

means to overfill to an overwhelming degree rather than just energize
to deluge
vsto surcharge
5 7.4

To give someone so much work or so many requests that they cannot cope

applies more broadly, also covering heavy emotion or many people
to overcharge
vsto surcharge
2 4.3

To put too much weight on something so it becomes unsafe

focuses on excess without stressing danger or improper burden

Antonyms

to relieve
166 2.3

Make pain, stress, or worry less

Compounds

solidarity surcharge
  • Formal
7.9

An extra tax added to regular taxes to pay for rebuilding or support in poorer areas

How Full

to overwhelm
88 3.9
to surcharge
  • Archaic
7.0
to crowd
175 1.6
to stuff
243 2.0
to pack
655 1.0
to fill
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

surcharge infinitive
surcharged past
surcharged past participle
surcharging present participle
surcharges third person singular

Morphology

surcharge = charge (semi-transparent) = sur + charge

The prefix 'sur-' suggests excess, but the specific meaning of 'surcharge' as an overwhelming degree is not entirely intuitive.

Etymology

Surcharge comes from the French parts sur- 'over' and charge 'load'. So to surcharge something is to 'load over' its limit, like overfilling a container or filling a room with too much emotion.