dead weight

American  

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.

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dead weight British  

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

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dead weight Idioms  

1. 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]

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Etymology

Origin of dead weight

First recorded in 1650–60

Example Sentences

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

Now he had been deemed dead weight in Italy, too.

From New York Times

I wheezed a tiny prayer to God and ran faster, even with the dead weight on my back.

From Literature

That’s because when he was in contact with the rock his legs were worse than dead weight.

From Los Angeles Times

Then, the Grammy winner proclaimed on the platform that she would be shedding “dead weight” and making changes to her career, finances and personal life because she knew where she wanted to be in life.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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