Meaning of dead weight | Babel Free

Definitions

1. Unremitting heavy weight that does not move.
   countable, uncountable
2. The largest weight of cargo a ship is able to carry; i.e., the weight of a ship when fully loaded minus its weight when empty.
   countable, uncountable
3. A dead load.
   countable, uncountable
4. That which is useless or excess; that which slows something down.
   countable, figuratively, uncountable
5. The total (unpowered) weight of a train to be propelled (or hauled) by the locomotive; another locomotive being hauled dead as part of the train is a dead weight.
   countable, uncountable

Equivalents

Examples

“His dead weight, as he abruptly collapses, pulls his lapels from her hands, reminding her to step back, off-balancing whoever is behind her, […]”

“She wants to shed the dead weight of so many stacks of old clutter.”

“It was Ethel Churchill, dressed as a bride, and on her wedding morning, that Norbourne had seen. She had sought the summer-house for a few moments of quiet and solitude. There was a dead weight on her spirits, which she rather sought to indulge than to shake off.”

“For ten minutes he waited there, jabbed at by his nerves, with every minute mounting up a dead weight of suspense.”

“They have the brains to rob a bank, but I guess only the rest of the gray matter is nothing but dead weight.”

“Nobody could ever be bothered to imagine the Sand Snakes beyond personalized weaponry and fake-aggressive quips, none of which were very convincing, and now they don’t even register as dead weight.”

““Contrasted with that, the flat is a tick against my name – it makes him think I’m a safe bet, that I’m not going to be dead weight.””

“Having dropped the coach, the trio returned with the Class 47 leading and the other two locomotives as dead weight.”

CEFR level