out·size
ˈau̇t-ˌsīz 
: an unusual size
especially
: a size larger than the standard
Nightgowns are generally made in three sizes—small, medium and outsize. —
Amy K. Smith
Amy K. Smith
out·size
ˈau̇t-ˌsīz
variants
or less commonly outsized
1
: unusually large or heavy
Physically he is outsize, standing six feet three and weighing 225 pounds …—Neil M. Clark
Neil M. Clark2
: exaggerated or extravagant in size or degree
… they loved Mayweather for his outsize persona and the reminder it carries of the sport's past glories.—Carlo Rotella
Carlo RotellaHe was wearing a huge fur hat, a purple jacket with outsize shoulders, and two pairs of spectacles, in tiers, emphasizing the narrow length of his face.—Anthony Haden-Guest
Anthony Haden-GuestExamples of outsize in a Sentence
Adjective
an outsize cat who weighs 25 pounds
she likes to make dramatic appearances wearing her trademark outsize sunglasses
Recent Examples on the Web
Joan Meiners, AZCentral.com, 27 Oct. 2025
While the war was at full tilt, Har-Melech’s minority settler faction had been able to exercise outsize influence over Netanyahu’s decision making, deepening Israel’s entanglement in Gaza.
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 21 Oct. 2025
The field marshal In the thick of warming ties, analysts say, is Field Marshal Asim Munir, the chief of Pakistan’s powerful military, which has long played an outsize role in the country’s often tumultuous politics.
—Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2025
These reminders, that rewards are built into our criminal-justice system while closure and peace are harder to come by, land more poignantly than the story of Gein’s outsize influence on Psycho and Alfred Hitchcock’s disappointment that audiences wanted more of it.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2025
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Adjective
Only within the last generation has the field embraced the reality that humans have an outsize influence on the natural world.
—Joan Meiners, AZCentral.com, 27 Oct. 2025
While the war was at full tilt, Har-Melech’s minority settler faction had been able to exercise outsize influence over Netanyahu’s decision making, deepening Israel’s entanglement in Gaza.
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 21 Oct. 2025
The field marshal In the thick of warming ties, analysts say, is Field Marshal Asim Munir, the chief of Pakistan’s powerful military, which has long played an outsize role in the country’s often tumultuous politics.
—Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2025
These reminders, that rewards are built into our criminal-justice system while closure and peace are harder to come by, land more poignantly than the story of Gein’s outsize influence on Psycho and Alfred Hitchcock’s disappointment that audiences wanted more of it.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for outsize
Cite this Entry
“Outsize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/outsize. Accessed 2 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
outsize
1 of 2 noun
out·size
ˈau̇t-ˌsīz
: a size different and especially larger than the standard
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