body mass index

noun

Updated on: 8 Apr 2018

Definition of body mass index

: a measure of body fat that is the ratio of the weight of the body in kilograms to the square of its height in meters

See body mass index defined for English-language learners

Examples of body mass index in a Sentence

A person with a body mass index of more than 30 is considered to be obese.

Recent Examples of body mass index from the Web

Candidates for the device have to have moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea and must have a body mass index that’s less than 35.

— shari rudavsky, Indianapolis Star, "Apnea woes? New implanted device may restore uninterrupted sleep," 27 Mar. 2018
The study also assessed obesity using body mass index (BMI), a measure of weight relative to height that doesn't take into account how much lean muscle versus fat people have.

— lisa rapaport, Fox News, "Obesity tied to shorter life, overweight people more years with heart disease," 26 Mar. 2018
All had Type 2 diabetes and a body mass index (BMI) of 35 or more, which is severely obese (for example, a 5-foot-9 boy age 17 who weighs around 240 has a BMI of 35).

— alan mozes, chicagotribune.com, "Weight-loss surgery beats meds for obese, diabetic teens, study says," 21 Mar. 2018
Trump measures in at 6-foot-3 and 236 pounds, according to his last available medical records, resulting in a body mass index of 29.5.

— jen christensen, CNN, "Even without the buns, Trump's favorite fast-food meal is a diet-buster," 9 Mar. 2018
That height and weight gives Trump a body mass index (BMI) of 29.9 which places him in the overweight category on the verge of obesity, defined as a BMI of 30 or greater.

— jayne o'donnell, USA TODAY, "Good genes? How can Trump eat a lot of fast food, exercise little and be healthy?," 16 Jan. 2018
Trump’s body mass index, or BMI, of 29.9 puts him in the category of being overweight for his height.

— jill colvin, BostonGlobe.com, "Trump is in ‘excellent’ health, White House physician says," 16 Jan. 2018
Obesity is measured as a function of the body mass index, a ratio of height to weight.

— sam stebbins, USA TODAY, "Here is the most obese county in every U.S. state," 21 Mar. 2018
Researchers measured thigh and waist circumference as well as weight and height (used to calculate body mass index), then tracked the health of the subjects over the next 12.5 years.

— Newsweek, "Amazing Photos of Bioluminescent Phytoplankton," 14 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'body mass index.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.