Overweight
/ˌoʊvərˈweɪt/
Definitions
2 meaningsExceeding a desirable weight, often implying a health risk.
/ˌoʊvərˈweɪt/
Having excess body weight, often above a medically determined healthy range.
The doctor advised her to lose weight because she was overweight.
💡 Simply: Imagine your body is a backpack. If you put too many toys in it, it's too heavy, right? Being overweight is like your body being too heavy because it has too much 'stuff' stored up.
👶 For kids: When you're overweight, it means you're a little bit too big for your body. It's like when your clothes are a little tight.
More Examples
Being overweight can increase the risk of several health problems.
The study found a correlation between an unhealthy diet and being overweight.
How It's Used
"The doctor determined that the patient was overweight based on their BMI."
"She started an exercise program to address her overweight condition."
To assign excess weight or importance to something.
/ˌoʊvərˈweɪt/
To add weight to something, or to weigh something more than necessary.
The company overweight the project's budget resulting in significant cost overruns.
💡 Simply: Sometimes you put too much importance on something, like a little toy. When you are doing that, you are overweighting that.
👶 For kids: It means to give something too much weight. Like if a toy is way too heavy.
More Examples
He felt like the judge was overweighting the evidence presented by the prosecution.
We shouldn't overweight our worries during a time of peace.
How It's Used
"The engineer accidentally overweight the cargo resulting in a safety hazard."
"He felt like the company was overweighting the new project's budget."
Idioms & expressions
lose weight
To reduce one's body weight.
"She is trying to lose weight by eating a healthy diet and exercising."
gain weight
To increase one's body weight.
"She started gaining weight after quitting her job."
From 'over' + 'weight'. 'Over' meaning exceeding or above a limit. The word emerged to describe a condition of having more weight than what is considered healthy.
The word 'overweight' gained prominence in medical and health contexts in the late 20th century as awareness of weight-related health issues increased.
Memory tip
Think of 'over' as 'too much' and 'weight' as the physical measure. Too much weight is overweight.
Word Origin
"Exceeding a weight limit"