overweight

noun over·weight \ ˈō-vər-ˌwāt , sense 2 is usually ˌō-vər-ˈwāt \

Updated on: 14 May 2018

Definition of overweight

1 : weight over and above what is required or allowed

2 : excessive or burdensome weight

Recent Examples of overweight from the Web

In December, Credit Suisse raised its recommendation on Indonesian stocks to small overweight from underweight.

— ese erheriene, WSJ, "Dollar’s Comeback Knocks Stocks in Indonesia as Foreign Investors Flee," 3 May 2018
Sick of being overweight from sitting at a desk or in traffic jams.

— linda roberston, Sun-Sentinel.com, "He ditched his Fiat and hectic commute for a paddleboard and smooth sailing," 9 Apr. 2018
Being overweight at any age raises the chances of the most common form, Type 2.

— Washington Post, "Getting kids to a good weight by 13 may help avoid diabetes," 4 Apr. 2018
Small children and people with underlying medical conditions like asthma or who are overweight are also vulnerable to an intense case of the flu.

— jen christensen, CNN, "Flu is still hanging around in some regions, CDC warns," 30 Mar. 2018
The brokerage also downgraded the stock to equal-weight from overweight, and lowered its share-price target to HK$3.40 from HK$3.60.

— prudence ho, Bloomberg.com, "For Li Ka-shing Investors, Special Dividends Are Really Special," 27 Feb. 2018
When an overweight or oversize permit is requested, the agency shares information about which bridges will or won't fit the height requirements of their load, so the person applying for the permit can plan their route, McCarthy wrote.

— zaz hollander, Anchorage Daily News, "Drivers endure epic traffic jam on Glenn Highway detour around bridge damaged by truck," 22 Mar. 2018
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 17.2% of U.S. children and adolescents aged 2 to 19 years are obese and another 16.2% are overweight.

— tiffany onyejiaka, Teen Vogue, "Body Diversity on Teen Television Still Needs Improvement," 24 Feb. 2018
The researchers analyzed the data, taking a close look at the prevalence of overweight and obesity among children, 2 to 19.

— jacqueline howard, CNN, "Childhood obesity is getting worse, study says," 13 Mar. 2018

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

First Known Use of overweight

1552

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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overweight

verb over·weight \ ˌō-vər-ˈwāt \

Definition of overweight

transitive verb

1 : to give too much weight or consideration to

2 : to weight excessively

Recent Examples of overweight from the Web

The fact that American women are more likely to be overweight may also add to health care costs, says Dr. Jha.

— amanda macmillan, Health.com, "Even Kate Middleton's Luxury Hospital Stay Costs Less Than a Typical Birth in America," 26 Apr. 2018
The poll, conducted by Glen Bolger of Public Opinion Strategies for a Tennessee business group and obtained by POLITICO, shows Bredesen up 47 to 45, despite a sample that was overweighted with Republicans.

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "‘Ego-Driven, Tired Old Man’ Corker Considers Un-Retirement From Senate," 13 Feb. 2018
So if investment-grade corporate bonds have a high momentum score, the fund will overweight them relative to its benchmark, the Barclays Capital Aggregate Bond Index, and vice versa if the score is low.

— gerrard cowan, WSJ, "A Bond ETF for the Momentum-Hungry," 9 July 2017
The portfolio managers then eliminate the those with the worst emissions, de-emphasize the lesser performers and overweight the better ones.

— tim gray, New York Times, "Funds That Can Put Your Investments on a Low-Carbon Diet," 13 Oct. 2017
But the U.S.C./LAT poll had terrible luck: The single most overweighted person in the survey was unrepresentative of his demographic group.

— nate cohn, New York Times, "How One 19-Year-Old Illinois Man Is Distorting National Polling Averages," 12 Oct. 2016
Though Brazilian financial assets rebounded to end the week, the political chaos has slammed a number of mutual funds that overweight the region.

— luke kawa, Bloomberg.com, "Five Things You Need to Know to Start Your Day," 21 May 2017
It was overweighted, the wheelbarrow, so everything kind of spilled everywhere.

— sophie hirsh, Condé Nast Traveler, "Princess Diana Honored With New Kensington Palace Garden," 13 Apr. 2017

First Known Use of overweight

1613

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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overweight

adjective over·weight \ ˌō-vər-ˈwāt \

Definition of overweight

: exceeding expected, normal, or proper weight; especially : exceeding the bodily weight normal for one's age, height, and build

See overweight defined for English-language learners

Examples of overweight in a Sentence

He looked to be at least 20 pounds overweight.
an overweight person who had difficulty running even a short distance

Recent Examples of overweight from the Web

Compared to the reference group, those who were overweight were 16% more likely to die of this disease during the study period.

— karen kaplan, latimes.com, "These five healthy habits could extend your life by a dozen years or more, study says," 30 Apr. 2018
Some of these people confide to being overweight but some are just enormous humans who have suffered a lifetime of squashing themselves into tiny spaces.

— dan neil, WSJ, "2018 BMW 640xi GT: A High-Riding, Roomy Sedan That’s Fun to Drive," 20 Apr. 2018
Person of interest is an overweight man of approximately 70 years of age with orange hair who was reported to be repeatedly riding up and down the escalators in a gaudy midtown Manhattan skyscraper.

— steve mirsky, Scientific American, "The President’s Views of Science Are Not Based in Reality," 1 Aug. 2017
Currently, doctors consider people with a BMI of 25 to 30 to be overweight.

— stacey burling, Philly.com, "Women past menopause may be fatter than they think," 19 Apr. 2018
Mackie Shilstone, Contributing writer The proper balance of substrate utilization also has strong implications for those overweight individuals attempting to lose excess body fat.

— NOLA.com, "Optimum Performance: What you eat before training and competition matters," 13 Apr. 2018
Earlier research conducted in the 1950s identified that folks who routinely skipped breakfast and consumed the majority of their daily calories later in the evening tended to be overweight.

— joan salge blake, BostonGlobe.com, "Why you should eat breakfast like a king and dinner like a pauper," 9 Apr. 2018
That relationship is further strained with the arrival of Erica’s future stepbrother, Luke (Joey Morgan), a bashful, anxious, overweight prescription-pill addict who’s just been released from rehab.

— barbara vandenburgh, azcentral, "‘Flower’ proves how hard it is to write a teenage girl," 22 Mar. 2018
Stephen Paddock was overweight, had some anti-anxiety medication in his urine, and suffered from the usual wear and tear that comes with aging.

— david montero, latimes.com, "Vegas shooter had anti-anxiety drugs in his system, autopsy shows, but motive behind massacre remains a mystery," 10 Feb. 2018

First Known Use of overweight

1621

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

overweight Synonyms

Financial Definition of OVERWEIGHT

overweight

adjective

What It Is

Overweight refers to a given security which has been disproportionately allocated in an investment portfolio relative to a benchmark. It is the opposite of underweight.

How It Works

Investment portfolios are commonly built up and diversified according to a benchmark index. Any component of a given portfolio which outweighs the percentage suggested by the benchmark is described as overweight. For instance, if 50% of a portfolio is comprised of equity when the suggested equity allocation is only 35%, the equity component is considered overweight.

Overweight should not be confused with underweight, which describes a security or portfolio component which has been allocated at a lower percentage than the benchmark suggestion.

Why It Matters

Investors and fund managers will deliberately make certain portfolio components or securities overweight if they forecast disproportionate gains in the near future. If they are correct, the overweight component will help boost the overall performance of the portfolio.

Source: Investing Answers

OVERWEIGHT Defined for English Language Learners

overweight

adjective

Definition of overweight for English Language Learners

: weighing more than the normal or expected amount : too heavy

OVERWEIGHT Defined for Kids

overweight

adjective over·weight \ ˌō-vər-ˈwāt \

Definition of overweight for Students

: weighing more than is normal, necessary, or allowed

an overweight suitcase

Medical Dictionary

overweight

adjective over·weight \ -ˈwāt \

medical Definition of overweight

: 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

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See words that rhyme with overweight Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for overweight Spanish Central: Translation of overweight Nglish: Translation of overweight for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of overweight for Arabic speakers

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overweight

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overweight

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Financial Definition of OVERWEIGHT

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OVERWEIGHT Defined for English Language Learners

overweight

Definition of overweight for English Language Learners

OVERWEIGHT Defined for Kids

overweight

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overweight

medical Definition of overweight

overweight

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