dead weight

Fetched 2026-10-26 (cache).

Synonyms: deadweight, lead weight, dead freight, draw weight, dead weights, heat weight

Antonyms: deadweight, lead weight, dead freight, draw weight, dead weights, heat weight

Related words from Datamuse; suggestions, not definitions.

Noun

1. Unremitting [[heavy]] [[weight]] that does not [[move]].
2. {{lb|en|nautical}} 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.
3. {{lb|en|construction}} A [[dead load]].
4. {{lb|en|figuratively}} That which is [[useless]] or [[excess]]; that which [[slows]] something [[down]].
5. {{lb|en|rail}} 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.

Adverb

1. {{lb|en|of a shot in snooker or other cue sports}} With just enough [[weight]] for a ball to drop into a pocket, or come to rest in a precisely determined position.

Source: Wiktionary · CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wiktionary dump) · cached copy, not a rewrite.