over·weight
ˈō-vər-ˌwāt 
sense 2 is usually
ˌō-vər-ˈwāt
1
: weight over and above what is required or allowed
2
: excessive or burdensome weight
over·weight
ˌō-vər-ˈwāt
overweighted; overweighting; overweights
over·weight
ˌō-vər-ˈwāt
: exceeding expected, normal, or proper weight
especially
: exceeding the bodily weight normal for one's age, height, and build
Synonyms
Examples of overweight in a Sentence
Adjective
He looked to be at least 20 pounds overweight.
an overweight person who had difficulty running even a short distance
Recent Examples on the Web
Alyssa Hui, Verywell Health, 20 June 2023
But concerns existed: slow feet, can’t jump, out of shape and overweight.
—Jeff Zillgitt, USA TODAY, 13 June 2023
The condition can also lead to metabolic consequences—there’s a strong association between having PCOS and overweight or obesity.
—Julia Ries, Health, 27 June 2023
What’s more, exercise can help people lose weight, and hypertension can be associated with overweight and obesity.
—Laura Hensley, Verywell Health, 16 Aug. 2023
Manufacturer Eli Lilly shared data from two phase 2 clinical trials in patients with type 2 diabetes and those with overweight or obesity at the American Diabetes Association meeting last month.
—Claire Bugos, Verywell Health, 14 July 2023
The trial of more than 17,000 adults 45 and older with obesity or overweight showed a 20% reduction in first heart attack, stroke or death from a cardiovascular event.
—Karen Weintraub, USA TODAY, 8 Aug. 2023
Morgan Stanley has rated Microsoft overweight since early 2016, and the stock has gained more than 500% in that period.
—Subrat Patnaik, Fortune, 6 July 2023
Despite some promising evidence, these drugs are not FDA-approved for PCOS—or any conditions other than diabetes and overweight or obesity.
—Julia Ries, Health, 27 June 2023
Ksenia Galouchko, Bloomberg.com, 2 Nov. 2020
In a Friday morning note upgrading Western Alliance, Comerica and Zions to overweight, JPMorgan analyst Steven Alexopoulos said that the selloff had fed on itself.
—Kit Rees, Fortune, 5 May 2023
Can overweight people blame their tastebuds?
—Seriously Science, Discover Magazine, 19 Jan. 2018
The study participants went from being classified as obese to overweight and lost belly fat in the process.
—Korin Miller, Women's Health, 15 Feb. 2023
While this task requires intuition and insight, and may depend on culture and social background, the formal model can still be useful in avoiding biases such as the recency effect (the tendency to overweight recent experiences).
—Hec Paris Insights, Forbes, 10 Feb. 2023
Doctors usually only prescribe weight loss drugs to overweight or obese patients with concerning blood pressure or glucose levels.
—Dallas News, 22 Dec. 2022
But they might be more easily observed, which might lead a hiring manager to overweight them, the authors say.
—Josh Zumbrun, WSJ, 4 Nov. 2022
Pro Plan Adult Weight Management Chicken & Rice Formula contains no artificial colors and flavors and is uniquely formulated for less active and/or overweight dogs.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 23 Oct. 2022
Lisa Respers France, CNN, 21 Sep. 2023
Clinically, the definition for being overweight is having a BMI of greater than 25, while the definition for obesity is having a BMI of over 30.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 21 Sep. 2023
Apart from age, erectile dysfunction is also associated with smoking, high blood pressure, heart disease, being overweight, and diabetes.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 15 Sep. 2023
However, being overweight and having diabetes may increase your likelihood of developing skin tags.
—Daley Quinn, Women's Health, 8 Sep. 2023
New research shows that the drug also has cardiovascular benefits and may lead to a better quality of life for people with heart problems who are also overweight.
—Emily Mullin, WIRED, 5 Sep. 2023
More than 40 percent of Americans are obese, and two-thirds are overweight.
—Jack Fencl, National Review, 5 Sep. 2023
Being overweight can increase your risk of high blood glucose, but flaxseeds may help counteract this.
—Cynthia Sass, Mph, Rd, Health, 25 Aug. 2023
The center was overweight in his early years and considered a project.
—Gary Washburn, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Aug. 2023
See More
Noun
For the study, the researchers looked at physical activity data from more than 2,400 adults with type 2 diabetes and overweight.
—Alyssa Hui, Verywell Health, 20 June 2023
But concerns existed: slow feet, can’t jump, out of shape and overweight.
—Jeff Zillgitt, USA TODAY, 13 June 2023
The condition can also lead to metabolic consequences—there’s a strong association between having PCOS and overweight or obesity.
—Julia Ries, Health, 27 June 2023
What’s more, exercise can help people lose weight, and hypertension can be associated with overweight and obesity.
—Laura Hensley, Verywell Health, 16 Aug. 2023
Manufacturer Eli Lilly shared data from two phase 2 clinical trials in patients with type 2 diabetes and those with overweight or obesity at the American Diabetes Association meeting last month.
—Claire Bugos, Verywell Health, 14 July 2023
The trial of more than 17,000 adults 45 and older with obesity or overweight showed a 20% reduction in first heart attack, stroke or death from a cardiovascular event.
—Karen Weintraub, USA TODAY, 8 Aug. 2023
Morgan Stanley has rated Microsoft overweight since early 2016, and the stock has gained more than 500% in that period.
—Subrat Patnaik, Fortune, 6 July 2023
Despite some promising evidence, these drugs are not FDA-approved for PCOS—or any conditions other than diabetes and overweight or obesity.
—Julia Ries, Health, 27 June 2023
Verb
After being overweight tech for almost two years, strategists led by Mislav Matejka slashed to neutral the sector that has driven the recovery rally since March and raised their recommendation on banking and insurance stocks to overweight.
—Ksenia Galouchko, Bloomberg.com, 2 Nov. 2020
In a Friday morning note upgrading Western Alliance, Comerica and Zions to overweight, JPMorgan analyst Steven Alexopoulos said that the selloff had fed on itself.
—Kit Rees, Fortune, 5 May 2023
Can overweight people blame their tastebuds?
—Seriously Science, Discover Magazine, 19 Jan. 2018
The study participants went from being classified as obese to overweight and lost belly fat in the process.
—Korin Miller, Women's Health, 15 Feb. 2023
While this task requires intuition and insight, and may depend on culture and social background, the formal model can still be useful in avoiding biases such as the recency effect (the tendency to overweight recent experiences).
—Hec Paris Insights, Forbes, 10 Feb. 2023
Doctors usually only prescribe weight loss drugs to overweight or obese patients with concerning blood pressure or glucose levels.
—Dallas News, 22 Dec. 2022
But they might be more easily observed, which might lead a hiring manager to overweight them, the authors say.
—Josh Zumbrun, WSJ, 4 Nov. 2022
Pro Plan Adult Weight Management Chicken & Rice Formula contains no artificial colors and flavors and is uniquely formulated for less active and/or overweight dogs.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 23 Oct. 2022
Adjective
The topic of shame was prevalent in the discussion among the panel of health professionals - both shame about being overweight and people who have been shamed for using weight loss medicine.
—Lisa Respers France, CNN, 21 Sep. 2023
Clinically, the definition for being overweight is having a BMI of greater than 25, while the definition for obesity is having a BMI of over 30.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 21 Sep. 2023
Apart from age, erectile dysfunction is also associated with smoking, high blood pressure, heart disease, being overweight, and diabetes.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 15 Sep. 2023
However, being overweight and having diabetes may increase your likelihood of developing skin tags.
—Daley Quinn, Women's Health, 8 Sep. 2023
New research shows that the drug also has cardiovascular benefits and may lead to a better quality of life for people with heart problems who are also overweight.
—Emily Mullin, WIRED, 5 Sep. 2023
More than 40 percent of Americans are obese, and two-thirds are overweight.
—Jack Fencl, National Review, 5 Sep. 2023
Being overweight can increase your risk of high blood glucose, but flaxseeds may help counteract this.
—Cynthia Sass, Mph, Rd, Health, 25 Aug. 2023
The center was overweight in his early years and considered a project.
—Gary Washburn, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Aug. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'overweight.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Dictionary Entries Near overweight
Cite this Entry
“Overweight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overweight. Accessed 4 Oct. 2023.
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Kids Definition
overweight
1 of 2 noun
over·weight
ˈō-vər-ˌwāt
sense 2 is usually ˌō-vər-ˈwāt
1
: weight above what is required or allowed
2
: excessive or burdensome weight
overweight
2 of 2 adjective
over·weight
ˌō-vər-ˈwāt
: being more than the expected, normal, or proper weight
especially
: having greater than normal bodily weight for one's age, height, and build
Medical Definition
overweight
adjective
over·weight
-ˈwāt
: weighing in excess of the normal for one's age, height, and build
overweight adolescents
overweight adults typically have a body mass index of 25 to 29.9
overweight
noun
More from Merriam-Webster on overweight
Nglish: Translation of overweight for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of overweight for Arabic Speakers
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