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
Darla Mercado, Cfp®, CNBC, 2 Apr. 2026
While laying in his bed one afternoon, an overweight Eric Fiedler daydreamed about a goal that seemed far out of reach.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 29 Mar. 2026
Michael Bloom, CNBC, 26 Mar. 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
Darla Mercado, Cfp®, CNBC, 2 Apr. 2026
In the latest phase 3 trial of orforglipron, three doses of the drug were compared with a placebo in 1,613 people with type 2 diabetes who were overweight or had obesity.
—Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for overweight
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Noun
Backing off global equities, ramping up on cash In their asset allocation recommendation, the strategists downgraded global equities to equal weight from overweight, including dialing back exposure to emerging markets.
—Darla Mercado, Cfp®, CNBC, 2 Apr. 2026
While laying in his bed one afternoon, an overweight Eric Fiedler daydreamed about a goal that seemed far out of reach.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 29 Mar. 2026
Verb
Morgan Stanley upgrades Equity Residential to overweight from equal weight Morgan Stanley says shares of the apartment REIT have plenty more room to run.
—Michael Bloom, CNBC, 26 Mar. 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
Finally, the team is overweight on cash, with 11% of the portfolio committed to this safe haven asset.
—Darla Mercado, Cfp®, CNBC, 2 Apr. 2026
In the latest phase 3 trial of orforglipron, three doses of the drug were compared with a placebo in 1,613 people with type 2 diabetes who were overweight or had obesity.
—Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 2 Apr. 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 5 Apr. 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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