Standard Lemma guide

overweight

adj · noun · verb · 11 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˌəʊvəˈweɪt/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: ō'vər-wātʹ
  • US: /ˌoʊvɚˈweɪt/
  • UK: /ˈəʊvəweɪt/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: ōʹvər-wāt
  • US: /ˈoʊvɚweɪt/
  • rhymes with -eɪt
  • CMU ARPABET: OW2 V ER0 W EY1 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Having a higher weight, especially body fat, than what is generally considered healthy for a given body type and height.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Before her diet, Jane was noticeably overweight, but she shed five kilos in the next two months.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Weighing more than what is allowed for safety or legal commerce.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: law, transport

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Having a portfolio relatively heavily invested in.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: business, finance, investment

Examples

  • Our portfolio is very overweight (in) Asian technology stocks.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

An excess of weight.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Topics: law, transport

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

The condition of being overweight.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Topics: government, healthcare

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

An overweight person.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

A security or class of securities in which one has a heavy concentration.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable

Topics: business, finance, investment

Examples

  • Apple common stock is one of our overweights.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

verb

Meaning 8

To weigh down: to put too heavy a burden on.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

verb

Meaning 9

To place excessive weight or emphasis on; to overestimate the importance of.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

adjective satellite

Meaning 10

usually describes a large person who is fat but has a large frame to carry it

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: fleshy, heavy

Antonyms: none provided

11

noun

Meaning 11

the property of excessive fatness

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: corpulence, stoutness, adiposis

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: fleshiness, obesity, corpulency

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *úp Proto-Indo-European *-er Proto-Indo-European *upér Proto-Germanic *uber Old English ofer- Middle English over- English over- English weight English overweight From over- + weight.

Across languages

Translations

87 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: նորմայից ավել քաշ ունեցող (normayicʻ avel kʻaš unecʻoġ) — of a person, heavier than is healthy
  • Azerbaijani: artıq çəkili — of a person, heavier than is healthy
  • Bashkir: йыуан (yıwan) — of a person, heavier than is healthy
  • Bashkir: һимеҙ (himeź) — of a person, heavier than is healthy
  • Chinese Mandarin: 超重 (chāozhòng) — of a person, heavier than is healthy
  • Danish: overvægtig — of a person, heavier than is healthy
  • Dutch: te zwaar — of a person, heavier than is healthy
  • Esperanto: superpeza — of a person, heavier than is healthy
  • Finnish: ylipainoinen — of a person, heavier than is healthy
  • French: en surpoids — of a person, heavier than is healthy
  • German: übergewichtig — of a person, heavier than is healthy
  • Greek: υπέρβαρος (ypérvaros) — of a person, heavier than is healthy
  • Hebrew: בעל משקל עודף (báal mishkál odéf) — of a person, heavier than is healthy
  • Hebrew: שמן (shamén) — of a person, heavier than is healthy
  • Hungarian: túlsúlyos — of a person, heavier than is healthy
  • Irish: róthrom — of a person, heavier than is healthy
  • Italian: in sovrappeso — of a person, heavier than is healthy
  • Italian: sovrappeso — of a person, heavier than is healthy
  • Japanese: メタボな (metabo na) — of a person, heavier than is healthy
  • Khmer: លើសទម្ងន់ (ləəh tumngŭən) — of a person, heavier than is healthy
  • Malay: gemuk tambun — of a person, heavier than is healthy
  • Malayalam: അമിതവണ്ണമുള്ള (amitavaṇṇamuḷḷa) — of a person, heavier than is healthy
  • Māori: katete — of a person, heavier than is healthy
  • Nahuatl: tomahuac — of a person, heavier than is healthy
  • Norwegian Bokmål: overvektig — of a person, heavier than is healthy
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: overvektig — of a person, heavier than is healthy
  • Polish: z nadwagą — of a person, heavier than is healthy
  • Polish: mający nadwagę — of a person, heavier than is healthy
  • Portuguese: com excesso de peso — of a person, heavier than is healthy
  • Portuguese: com sobrepeso — of a person, heavier than is healthy
  • Russian: гру́зный (grúznyj) — of a person, heavier than is healthy
  • Russian: ту́чный (túčnyj) — of a person, heavier than is healthy
  • Russian: страда́ющий ожире́нием (stradájuščij ožirénijem) — of a person, heavier than is healthy
  • Spanish: con sobrepeso — of a person, heavier than is healthy
  • Spanish: tener sobrepeso — of a person, heavier than is healthy
  • Swedish: överviktig — of a person, heavier than is healthy
  • Swedish: tjock — of a person, heavier than is healthy
  • Ottoman Turkish: سمیز (semiz) — of a person, heavier than is healthy
  • Ottoman Turkish: شیشمان (şişman) — of a person, heavier than is healthy
  • Welsh: dros ei bwysau — of a person, heavier than is healthy
  • Bulgarian: претоварен (pretovaren) — of a vehicle, weighing more than is allowed
  • Chinese Mandarin: 超重 (chāozhòng) — of a vehicle, weighing more than is allowed
  • Chinese Mandarin: 超載 /超载 (chāozài) — of a vehicle, weighing more than is allowed
  • Danish: overlæsset — of a vehicle, weighing more than is allowed
  • Dutch: te zwaar — of a vehicle, weighing more than is allowed
  • Finnish: ylipainoinen — of a vehicle, weighing more than is allowed
  • German: überladen — of a vehicle, weighing more than is allowed
  • Greek: υπέρβαρος (ypérvaros) — of a vehicle, weighing more than is allowed
  • Irish: róthrom — of a vehicle, weighing more than is allowed
  • Macedonian: прето́варен (pretóvaren) — of a vehicle, weighing more than is allowed
  • Malayalam: അമിതഭാര (amitabhāra) — of a vehicle, weighing more than is allowed
  • Māori: tōpāparu — of a vehicle, weighing more than is allowed
  • Polish: przeciążony — of a vehicle, weighing more than is allowed
  • Portuguese: sobrecarregado — of a vehicle, weighing more than is allowed
  • Russian: перегру́женный (peregrúžennyj) — of a vehicle, weighing more than is allowed
  • Spanish: con exceso de peso — of a vehicle, weighing more than is allowed
  • Spanish: con pesantez excesiva — of a vehicle, weighing more than is allowed
  • Spanish: con demasiada pesadura — of a vehicle, weighing more than is allowed
  • Spanish: tener exceso de pesadez — of a vehicle, weighing more than is allowed
  • Spanish: tener pesadumbre excesiva — of a vehicle, weighing more than is allowed
  • Spanish: tener demasiado pesor — of a vehicle, weighing more than is allowed
  • Bulgarian: свръхтегло (svrǎhteglo) — excess of weight
  • Chinese Mandarin: 超重 (chāozhòng) — excess of weight
  • Chinese Mandarin: 超載 /超载 (chāozài) — excess of weight
  • Danish: overvægt — excess of weight
  • Danish: overlæs — excess of weight
  • Dutch: overgewicht — excess of weight
  • Finnish: ylipaino — excess of weight
  • German: Übergewicht — excess of weight
  • Hebrew: משקל עודף (mishkál odéf) — excess of weight
  • Hungarian: súlytöbblet — excess of weight
  • Hungarian: többletsúly — excess of weight
  • Hungarian: túlsúly — excess of weight
  • Kashubian: nądwôga — excess of weight
  • Malayalam: അമിതഭാരം (amitabhāraṁ) — excess of weight
  • Malayalam: അമിതവണ്ണം (amitavaṇṇaṁ) — excess of weight
  • Norwegian Bokmål: overvekt — excess of weight
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: overvekt — excess of weight
  • Persian: اضافهوزن (ezâfe-vazn) — excess of weight
  • Polish: nadwaga — excess of weight
  • Portuguese: sobrepeso — excess of weight
  • Spanish: sobrepeso — excess of weight
  • Spanish: exceso de pesantez — excess of weight
  • Spanish: pesadura excesiva — excess of weight
  • Spanish: demasiado pesor — excess of weight
  • Swahili: uzito uliozidi — excess of weight
  • Swedish: övervikt — excess of weight
Real reading context

overweight in complete knowledge articles