dead weight
Americannoun
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the heavy, unrelieved weight of anything inert.
The dead weight of the bear's body was over 300 pounds.
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a heavy or oppressive burden or responsibility.
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the weight of a railroad car, truck, etc., as distinct from its load or contents.
noun
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a heavy weight or load
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an oppressive burden; encumbrance
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the difference between the loaded and the unloaded weights of a ship
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another name for dead load
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(in shipping) freight chargeable by weight rather than by bulk
Etymology
Origin of dead weight
First recorded in 1650–60
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The factory sector no longer looks like dead weight.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 6, 2026
The text of the measure was unenforceable, but the dead words remained in the California Constitution, a dead weight on our collective conscience.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 6, 2024
Misguided, opinionated labor is dead weight; the high-up leaders know best, which is why they’ve earned the positions they have to begin with.
From Slate • Sep. 14, 2023
But there’s no reason why the Wild won’t again push for a deep run in the playoffs, despite the dead weight from the buyouts of former franchise players Zach Parise and Ryan Suter.
From Seattle Times • May 17, 2022
It felt like the old donkey had gone slack and left the entirety of his dead weight for me to drag.
From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
