overtax

/ˌəʊvəˈtæks/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌəʊvərˈtæks/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌō-vər-ˈtaks/ (ame, mw)

overtax — verb

  • overtaxpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • overtaxeshe / she / it
  • overtaxedpast simple
  • overtaxing-ing form

1. to make people, companies, or goods pay a higher amount of tax than is fair or r

1.動詞及物C1
釋義

to make people, companies, or goods pay a higher amount of tax than is fair or reasonable.

例句

Small shop owners in the town said the new mayor was overtaxing their businesses.

transitive: overtax + business / person

Hamza argued that the government had overtaxed imported books for years.

overtax + imported goods

同義詞
  • overcharge

    broader; covers any unfair price, not only government taxation

  • overburden

    stresses the heavy load on the payer, less tied to tax specifically

反義詞
  • undertax

    formal; means to tax someone less than would be fair or expected

文法句型

overtax + someone / a group

overtax + goods / imports / products

be overtaxed (by + authority)

用法筆記

Subject is usually a government, tax office, or law; object is a person, group, or category of goods. Strongly implies the speaker thinks the tax level is unjust, not merely high.

常見錯誤

❌Restaurants overtaxed the bill by adding service charge.
✅Restaurants overcharged the bill by adding service charge.
💡overtax is about official taxation, not about charging a high price.

2. to push someone's body, mind, or patience past what it can handle, so that the p

2.動詞及物C1
釋義

to push someone's body, mind, or patience past what it can handle, so that the person becomes tired, confused, or stressed.

例句

Coach Antonia warned the runners not to overtax their knees on the hilly route.

overtax + body part

Hao spent so long on the puzzle that it began to overtax his memory.

overtax + mental faculty

同義詞
  • overwork

    narrower; usually about doing too much work, not stretching a single faculty

  • strain

    stresses the pulling pressure on a muscle, system, or relationship

  • exhaust

    stronger; means to use up someone's energy completely

反義詞
  • rest

    gives the body or mind a chance to recover instead of pushing it further

文法句型

overtax + body part / strength / patience

overtax oneself

用法筆記

Object is usually a body part (knees, eyes), a mental faculty (memory, brain, patience), or a reflexive pronoun (yourself). Distinguish from sense 1: this is about effort and capacity, not about money.

常見錯誤

❌The students were overtaxed by the exam questions.
✅The students were overwhelmed by the exam questions.
💡overtax usually takes a specific faculty or body part as object, not a whole person sitting an exam.