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
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
Davis Giangiulio, CNBC, 29 Jan. 2026
For example, an NFL player faces a $329 fine for each pound overweight, and that fine can climb to $822 per pound.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Michael Bloom, CNBC, 28 Jan. 2026
Local and regional African credit rating agencies argue that their global counterparts overweight hard currency constraints and external shocks while underestimating domestic resilience and informal economic activity.
—Yinka Adegoke, semafor.com, 12 Jan. 2026
Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 30 Jan. 2026
Potter has an overweight rating on Tesla shares and a target price of $500, which implies a gain of about 15% over the next 12 months.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for overweight
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Noun
The bank upgraded the Dutch semiconductor equipment overweight from equal weight Thursday.
—Davis Giangiulio, CNBC, 29 Jan. 2026
For example, an NFL player faces a $329 fine for each pound overweight, and that fine can climb to $822 per pound.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Verb
KeyBanc upgrades Nextpower to overweight from sector weight KeyBanc sees an attractive risk/reward for the alternative energy company following earnings.
—Michael Bloom, CNBC, 28 Jan. 2026
Local and regional African credit rating agencies argue that their global counterparts overweight hard currency constraints and external shocks while underestimating domestic resilience and informal economic activity.
—Yinka Adegoke, semafor.com, 12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
How to play Over the longer term, Standard Chartered’s Gill said the bank remains bullish on gold and maintains an overweight position relative to a neutral portfolio allocation.
—Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 30 Jan. 2026
Potter has an overweight rating on Tesla shares and a target price of $500, which implies a gain of about 15% over the next 12 months.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for overweight
Cite this Entry
“Overweight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overweight. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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
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