1
: the unrelieved weight of an inert mass
2
3
: a ship's load including the total weight of cargo, fuel, stores, crew, and passengers
Examples of deadweight in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
That was the point where Sunderland began to fall off the Premier League cliff-edge, and Ndong was a deadweight to hasten their demise.
—
The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 17 June 2025
Thus, Ockham's razor cuts loose the deadweight of the theory, leaving it with only the necessary pieces of explanation.
—Julius Černiauskas, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025
So, in certain industries, the risk of outsourcing may well outweigh the deadweight loss resulting from tariffs or any other form of free trade barriers.
—Zev Fima, CNBC, 4 June 2025
Losing that 200 pounds of deadweight freed me up to focus on advancing my career.
—R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 6 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deadweight
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The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 17 June 2025
Thus, Ockham's razor cuts loose the deadweight of the theory, leaving it with only the necessary pieces of explanation.
—Julius Černiauskas, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025
So, in certain industries, the risk of outsourcing may well outweigh the deadweight loss resulting from tariffs or any other form of free trade barriers.
—Zev Fima, CNBC, 4 June 2025
Losing that 200 pounds of deadweight freed me up to focus on advancing my career.
—R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 6 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deadweight
Cite this Entry
“Deadweight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deadweight. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
deadweight
noun
dead·weight
ˈded-ˈwāt 
: the full weight of a mass that is not moving
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