dead weight

or dead·weight

See more synonyms for dead weight on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

Origin of dead weight

First recorded in 1650–60

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for deadweight

Contemporary Examples

Access to credit can be a great thing, but it can also become a deadweight around your neck.
Dirty Debt, Done Dirt Cheap
Nick Gillespie
October 9, 2013
Similarly, consider Joel Waldfogel's AER article "The Deadweight Loss of Christmas" (which he later adapted into Scroogenomics).
How Terrible Is Christmas?
Megan McArdle
December 26, 2012
After all, excessive holiday spending results in what economists refer to a “deadweight loss.”
6 Secrets of Perfect Gift Giving
Lee Eisenberg
November 26, 2009

Historical Examples

Yet the power (so defined as horse-power) required to raise a deadweight of 20 lbs.
Unexplored Spain
Abel Chapman
Blindly, I felt for the buttons on my dress, and buttoning I sank back in sleep again—the deadweight sleep of utter exhaustion.
Hungry Hearts
Anzia Yezierska
It was the sudden release of both the keel and deadweight of the projectile that had caused R19 to shoot up to the surface.
A Sub and a Submarine
Percy F. Westerman
The remainder were freighters, averaging about 5,000 deadweight tons each.
Area Handbook for Romania
Eugene K. Keefe, Donald W. Bernier, Lyle E. Brenneman, William Giloane, James M. Moore, and Neda A. Walpole

British Dictionary definitions for deadweight

dead weight

noun

a heavy weight or load
an oppressive burden; encumbrance
the difference between the loaded and the unloaded weights of a ship
another name for dead load
(in shipping) freight chargeable by weight rather than by bulk

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for deadweight

n.

1650s, "weight of an inert body," from dead (adj.) + weight (n.).

Idioms and Phrases with deadweight

dead weight

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]

dead weight

or dead·weight

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}dead weight

Examples from the Web for deadweight

Contemporary Examples

Access to credit can be a great thing, but it can also become a deadweight around your neck.

Similarly, consider Joel Waldfogel's AER article "The Deadweight Loss of Christmas" (which he later adapted into Scroogenomics).

After all, excessive holiday spending results in what economists refer to a “deadweight loss.”

Historical Examples

Yet the power (so defined as horse-power) required to raise a deadweight of 20 lbs.

Blindly, I felt for the buttons on my dress, and buttoning I sank back in sleep again—the deadweight sleep of utter exhaustion.

It was the sudden release of both the keel and deadweight of the projectile that had caused R19 to shoot up to the surface.

The remainder were freighters, averaging about 5,000 deadweight tons each.

dead weight

Word Origin and History for deadweight

n.

Idioms and Phrases with deadweight

dead weight

Origin of dead weight