dad bod

noun

plural dad bods

informal

: a physique regarded as typical of an average father

especially : one that is slightly overweight and not extremely muscular

"… I am not going to have a belly. I think I have too much ego to have a dad bod—even though I'm a dad. …" —

Marlon Wayans

If the proud owner of a dad bod were to write a guidebook on how to achieve this sought after physique—somewhat muscular, but with some extra flesh and a belly—what should it be titled? —

TheWeek.com

The "dad bod" became the hot new look. Even Hollywood latched onto the more attainable physique with actors sporting bodies that were not chiseled, not incredibly lean, and a little soft in the middle. —

Abby Eden

Examples of dad bod in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Middle-aged men with dad bods have joined home defense units, patrolling in golf carts, militarizing what were once suburban neighborhoods. —

William Booth, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024 This Father’s Day, actress Jennifer Lopez revealed on social media that her husband, Ben Affleck, does not have a dad bod. —

Kate Armanini, BostonGlobe.com, 19 June 2023 In the first scene, Purves’s Falstaff is shown not as the usual gorging grotesque in a fat suit, but as a careful master chef, sensitively relishing his creations — and with, at best, a dad bod. —

New York Times, 12 July 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dad bod.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.