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.
-
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
If your torso, hips and lower body are rigid, it makes it a lot easier to lift them than if they’re dead weight.
From New York Times ● Mar. 8, 2022
He was mostly dead weight, and I felt his head bounce softly on my shoulder and his body sag against me like a big damp loaf.
From "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
