fatter; fattest
1
2
b
: full in tone and quality : rich
a gorgeous fat bass voice—
Irish Digest
Irish Digest
c
: well stocked
a fat larder
d
: prosperous, wealthy
grew fat on the war—Time
Time
e
: being substantial and impressive
a fat bank account
3
a
: richly rewarding or profitable
a fat part in a movie
a fat contract
b
: practically nonexistent
a fat chance
4
: productive, fertile
a fat year for crops
5
6
: being swollen
got a fat lip from the fight
7
of a baseball pitch
: easy to hit
fatness
noun
1
: animal tissue consisting chiefly of cells distended with greasy or oily matter
2
a
: oily or greasy matter making up the bulk of adipose tissue and often abundant in seeds
b
: any of various compounds of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen that are glycerides of fatty acids, are the chief constituents of plant and animal fat, are a major class of energy-rich food, and are soluble in organic solvents but not in water
c
: a solid or semisolid fat as distinguished from an oil
3
: the best or richest part
4
: obesity
5
: something in excess : superfluity
trim the fat from the news operation—Ray Olson
Ray Olson
Synonyms
Examples of fat in a Sentence
Adjective
The dog is getting fat because you feed him too much.
I can't believe I've let myself get so fat.
a fat book of poems
a truck with fat tires
Noun
people with excess body fat
a diet and exercise program to help you gain muscle and lose fat
Nuts contain a lot of fat.
Trim the fat from the meat before you cook it.
a diet low in fats
fats like butter and olive oil
trim the fat off the budget
Recent Examples on the WebJessica Carbone, Saveur, 3 Apr. 2024
Similar to Chick Fil A, the sandwich is still under 400 calories with less fat than most.
—Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Mar. 2024
The Best Foods For Crohn's Disease Learn more about our advocates
Fats
Foods high in fat, especially greasy and fried foods, can make Crohn’s disease symptoms worse.
—Toby Amidor, Rd, Health, 23 Mar. 2024
The one that makes most people uncomfortable to hear but more so to be called it: fat.
—Andrea Kane, CNN, 22 Mar. 2024
The resort also has fat tire bikes that can plow through powder, and Winter Park Ski Resort is just 10 miles from the ranch if doing laps on the slopes is on your mind.
—Brittany Anas, The Denver Post, 12 Mar. 2024
The Kung Fu Panda films are like a neon sign of a yin and yang, a fragile balance of philosophy and fat jokes.
—Amy Nicholson, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024
Huse says the three biggest factors are sugar, fat, and bread.
—Andrew Barrett Schrader, Southern Living, 6 Mar. 2024
Milk fat globule membrane surrounds the fat droplets in breast milk and supports a baby’s cognitive development.
—Lainey Younkin, Ms, Rd, Parents, 15 Mar. 2024
Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2024
To keep lips hydrated, Kapoor also recommended shea butter and ceramide, a type of fat found in skin cells.
—Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, CNN, 7 Apr. 2024
From Henry Ford LiveWell 361 calories (21% from fat), 9 grams fat (3.5 grams sat.
—Bethany Thayer, Detroit Free Press, 6 Apr. 2024
Those who sought help said the health care system routinely overlooked their struggles and used an industry standard of health, the Body Mass Index (a measure of body fat based on a person’s height and weight), that failed to signal their eating disorders.
—Audrey Richardson and Aurora Sousanis, USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2024
Avocados are also said to help keep your blood sugar levels constant, and to help cholesterol and triglyceride (a type of fat) levels stay low.
—Sina Petri, Vogue, 5 Apr. 2024
The body processes in animals like iguanas, turtles, snakes and frogs slow down to a near-stop, allowing the animal to use just a small amount of body fat and survive for weeks in cold temperatures.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 4 Apr. 2024
But the Colorado Botanicals extraction process effectively removes tetrahydrocannabinol, along with chlorophyll, fats, and other plant matter.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
Nutrition analysis per serving: 135 calories, 6 g protein, 5 g carbohydrate, 10 g total fat (2 g sat.
—Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Mar. 2024
Adjective
But there’s something else strategic going on, in that the contrast of flavor and texture and color, fat and lean, cold and hot, happens not all on the plate, but between multiple dishes.
—Jessica Carbone, Saveur, 3 Apr. 2024
Similar to Chick Fil A, the sandwich is still under 400 calories with less fat than most.
—Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Mar. 2024
The Best Foods For Crohn's Disease Learn more about our advocates
Fats
Foods high in fat, especially greasy and fried foods, can make Crohn’s disease symptoms worse.
—Toby Amidor, Rd, Health, 23 Mar. 2024
The one that makes most people uncomfortable to hear but more so to be called it: fat.
—Andrea Kane, CNN, 22 Mar. 2024
The resort also has fat tire bikes that can plow through powder, and Winter Park Ski Resort is just 10 miles from the ranch if doing laps on the slopes is on your mind.
—Brittany Anas, The Denver Post, 12 Mar. 2024
The Kung Fu Panda films are like a neon sign of a yin and yang, a fragile balance of philosophy and fat jokes.
—Amy Nicholson, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024
Huse says the three biggest factors are sugar, fat, and bread.
—Andrew Barrett Schrader, Southern Living, 6 Mar. 2024
Milk fat globule membrane surrounds the fat droplets in breast milk and supports a baby’s cognitive development.
—Lainey Younkin, Ms, Rd, Parents, 15 Mar. 2024
Noun
Elijah Anderson-Taylor has impressed after losing 15 pounds of fat and gaining eight pounds of muscle.
—Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2024
To keep lips hydrated, Kapoor also recommended shea butter and ceramide, a type of fat found in skin cells.
—Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, CNN, 7 Apr. 2024
From Henry Ford LiveWell 361 calories (21% from fat), 9 grams fat (3.5 grams sat.
—Bethany Thayer, Detroit Free Press, 6 Apr. 2024
Those who sought help said the health care system routinely overlooked their struggles and used an industry standard of health, the Body Mass Index (a measure of body fat based on a person’s height and weight), that failed to signal their eating disorders.
—Audrey Richardson and Aurora Sousanis, USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2024
Avocados are also said to help keep your blood sugar levels constant, and to help cholesterol and triglyceride (a type of fat) levels stay low.
—Sina Petri, Vogue, 5 Apr. 2024
The body processes in animals like iguanas, turtles, snakes and frogs slow down to a near-stop, allowing the animal to use just a small amount of body fat and survive for weeks in cold temperatures.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 4 Apr. 2024
But the Colorado Botanicals extraction process effectively removes tetrahydrocannabinol, along with chlorophyll, fats, and other plant matter.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
Nutrition analysis per serving: 135 calories, 6 g protein, 5 g carbohydrate, 10 g total fat (2 g sat.
—Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fat.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Adjective, Verb, and Noun
Middle English, from Old English fǣtt, past participle of fǣtan to cram; akin to Old High German feizit fat
First Known Use
Adjective
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined above
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of fat was
before the 12th century
Phrases Containing fat
Dictionary Entries Near fat
Cite this Entry
“Fat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fat. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
fat
1 of 3 adjective
fatter; fattest
1
a
b
2
a
: thick entry 1 sense 1
a fat book
b
: well stocked : abundant
3
: profitable
accepted a fat contract
5
: being swollen
got a fat lip in the fight
fatness
noun
fat
3 of 3 noun1
: animal tissue consisting chiefly of cells containing much greasy or oily matter
2
a
: any of numerous compounds of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen that make up most of plant and animal fat, are a major class of energy-rich food, and can be dissolved by ether but not by water
b
: a solid or semisolid fat (as lard) as distinguished from an oil
3
: the best or richest part
the fat of the land
4
: an amount beyond what is usual or needed : excess
Medical Definition
fat
2 of 2 noun1
: animal tissue consisting chiefly of cells distended with greasy or oily matter see brown fat
2
a
: oily or greasy matter making up the bulk of adipose tissue
b
: any of numerous compounds of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen that are glycerides of fatty acids, are the chief constituents of plant and animal fat, are a major class of energy-rich food, and are soluble in organic solvents (as ether) but not in water
c
: a solid or semisolid fat as distinguished from an oil
3
: the condition of fatness : obesity
More from Merriam-Webster on fat
Nglish: Translation of fat for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of fat for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about fat
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