dead weight

Or deadweight

noun

1. the heavy, unrelieved weight of anything inert.

   The dead weight of the bear's body was over 300 pounds.

2. a heavy or oppressive burden or responsibility.

3. the weight of a railroad car, truck, etc., as distinct from its load or contents.

dead weight

noun

1. a heavy weight or load

2. an oppressive burden; encumbrance

3. the difference between the loaded and the unloaded weights of a ship

4. another name for dead load

5. (in shipping) freight chargeable by weight rather than by bulk

Word History and Origins

Origin of dead weight¹

First recorded in 1650–60

Idioms and Phrases

A heavy or oppressive burden, as in That police record will be a dead weight on his career. This term alludes to the unrelieved weight of an inert mass. [Early 1700s]

Related Words

• barrier 
• bottleneck 
• burden 
• defect 
• deterrent 
• difficulty 
• disadvantage 
• drawback 
• flaw 
• handicap 
• hazard 
• hitch 
• hurdle 
• inhibition 
• obstacle 
• red tape 
• restriction 
• setback 
• snag 
• stumbling block