dead weight

or dead·weight

SEE SYNONYMS FOR dead weight ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the heavy, unrelieved weight of anything inert: The dead weight of the bear's body was over 300 pounds.
a heavy or oppressive burden or responsibility.
the weight of a railroad car, truck, etc., as distinct from its load or contents.

Origin of dead weight

First recorded in 1650–60

Words nearby dead weight

dead time, dead tired, dead to rights, dead to the world, dead water, dead weight, dead white european male, dead zone, dead-air space, dead-and-alive, dead-ball line

Words related to dead weight

hitch, flaw, barrier, restriction, handicap, drawback, setback, snag, difficulty, inhibition, obstacle, hurdle, hazard, burden, defect, deterrent, bottleneck, disadvantage, encumbrance, blockade

Example sentences from the Web for dead weight

British Dictionary definitions for dead weight

dead weight

noun

a heavy weight or load
an oppressive burden; encumbrance
the difference between the loaded and the unloaded weights of a ship
another name for dead load
(in shipping) freight chargeable by weight rather than by bulk

Idioms and Phrases with dead weight

dead weight

A heavy or oppressive burden, as in That police record will be a dead weight on his career. This term alludes to the unrelieved weight of an inert mass. [Early 1700s]