Upcharge

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. An additional fee added on top of a base price for a product or service ; to ask a customer to pay more money than the standard amount
2. A supplementary amount billed beyond the usual cost of something ; to impose a higher price on a buyer than the normal rate
3. An extra sum tacked onto the regular price of goods or services ; to demand additional payment from a customer beyond the set fee

Etymology: "Upcharge" is a plain compound: the adverb-particle "up" joined to "charge," so a noun or verb meaning an extra fee added on top of a price. The pairing follows a common English pattern in which "up" signals an increase, as in "mark up" or "raise up," and it puts a surcharge in the same family as those expressions. The base word "charge" carries the older idea of a cost or burden laid on someone, and "up" simply specifies that the amount is added to what was already expected to be paid. The combination therefore names a specific kind of expense: money demanded beyond the basic price.

Synonyms: surcharge, markup, premium, extra charge

Antonyms: discount, rebate, markdown, reduction