overweight

1 of 3

noun

over·​weight ˈō-vər-ˌwāt How to pronounce overweight (audio)
sense 2 is usually
ˌō-vər-ˈwāt How to pronounce overweight (audio)
1
: weight over and above what is required or allowed
2
: excessive or burdensome weight

overweight

2 of 3

verb

over·​weight ˌō-vər-ˈwāt How to pronounce overweight (audio)
overweighted; overweighting; overweights

transitive verb

1
: to give too much weight or consideration to
2
: to weight excessively

overweight

3 of 3

adjective

over·​weight ˌō-vər-ˈwāt How to pronounce overweight (audio)
: exceeding expected, normal, or proper weight
especially : exceeding the bodily weight normal for one's age, height, and build

Examples of overweight in a Sentence

Adjective He looked to be at least 20 pounds overweight. an overweight person who had difficulty running even a short distance
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Key Takeaways For some people with obesity or overweight, losing weight may improve health conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes. Fran Kritz, Verywell Health, 8 Apr. 2024 Still, it's used as the primary way to diagnose obesity and overweight. Alyssa Hui, Verywell Health, 11 Mar. 2024 The eating plan may be especially helpful for people at risk of developing metabolic syndrome, such as those with overweight or obesity or older people. Sarah Garone, Health, 1 Mar. 2024 For people with overweight or obesity and type 2 diabetes, drugs that promote weight loss should be considered along with lifestyle changes. Laura Hensley, Verywell Health, 2 Feb. 2024 Many patients with overweight or obesity also have high blood pressure. Claire Bugos, Verywell Health, 9 Feb. 2024 Additionally, 57% of those not living with overweight or obesity feel that those who are do not take care of themselves. Dominique Fluker, Essence, 22 Jan. 2024 Understanding the concept of food noise can help change harmful perceptions of those living with overweight and obesity as well as those taking GLP-1 medications to manage their obesity. Dominique Fluker, Essence, 22 Jan. 2024 That's the biggest overweight since March 2009, BofA said. Anna Hirtenstein, WSJ, 14 Nov. 2023
Verb
Morgan Stanley upgraded its recommendation on Adidas to overweight from underweight, and lifted its price target to €235 from €175. Tim Loh, Fortune Europe, 17 Apr. 2024 The team accordingly upgraded energy to overweight, citing steady oil prices and attractive valuations. Justina Lee, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2024 This can actually benefit the process of analysing impact, as models can be trained to overweight the importance of the impact goals of a specific investor or manager. Josipa Majic Predin, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024 For items that are both oversized and overweight up to 70 pounds, the fee will be capped at $200. Rob Wile, NBC News, 20 Feb. 2024 And overnight, millions of Americans went from having normal weight to overweight. Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 14 June 2023 After being overweight tech for almost two years, strategists led by Mislav Matejka slashed to neutral the sector that has driven the recovery rally since March and raised their recommendation on banking and insurance stocks to overweight. Ksenia Galouchko, Bloomberg.com, 2 Nov. 2020 In a Friday morning note upgrading Western Alliance, Comerica and Zions to overweight, JPMorgan analyst Steven Alexopoulos said that the selloff had fed on itself. Kit Rees, Fortune, 5 May 2023 Can overweight people blame their tastebuds? Seriously Science, Discover Magazine, 19 Jan. 2018
Adjective
This means that a person may exhibit all of the diagnostic hallmarks of anorexia, for example, extreme restriction and even malnourishment, but still present as average weight or even overweight. Cole Kazdin, TIME, 16 Apr. 2024 About 78% of people with type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese. Lauryn Higgins, Health, 16 Apr. 2024 Kimberly Collins, 50, remembers being confused by the BMI letters sent to her from the Little Rock School District stating that all her children were considered overweight, and that one daughter was classified as obese. Kavitha Cardoza, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024 Marlon Brando was overweight and underprepared for his role as a deranged Green Berets colonel. Clyde Haberman, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2024 But in its eagerness to prove that obesity isn’t a moral failure, Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution ends up reinforcing some of the troubling cultural attitudes that overweight and obese people still face in many walks of life. Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 21 Mar. 2024 The resulting number is then used to categorize people as underweight, normal weight, overweight, obese, or morbidly obese. Elizabeth Woolley, Verywell Health, 9 Apr. 2024 Although both men and women report dissatisfaction with their bodies, women face greater bias for being overweight than men. Callie Holtermann, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2024 Beauty in a new body Dana Demeter was 5 years old when a doctor told her mother that Demeter was overweight. Audrey Richardson and Aurora Sousanis, USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'overweight.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1552, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1613, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1621, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of overweight was in 1552

Dictionary Entries Near overweight

Cite this Entry

“Overweight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overweight. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

overweight

1 of 2 noun
over·​weight ˈō-vər-ˌwāt How to pronounce overweight (audio)
 sense 2 is usually  ˌō-vər-ˈwāt
1
: weight above what is required or allowed
2
: excessive or burdensome weight

overweight

2 of 2 adjective
over·​weight ˌō-vər-ˈwāt How to pronounce overweight (audio)
: being more than the expected, normal, or proper weight
especially : having greater than normal bodily weight for one's age, height, and build

Medical Definition

overweight

adjective
over·​weight -ˈwāt How to pronounce overweight (audio)
: weighing in excess of the normal for one's age, height, and build
overweight adolescents
overweight adults typically have a body mass index of 25 to 29.9
overweight noun

More from Merriam-Webster on overweight

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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