fat

1 of 3

adjective

fatter; fattest
1
: notable for having an unusual amount of fat:
a
: plump
a cute, fat little baby
b
: having excessive body fat
… a woman of medium height, a little plump but not fatMary McCarthy
c
of a meat animal : fattened for market
d
of food : oily, greasy
a fat, rich cheese
2
a
: well filled out : thick, big
a fat book
b
: full in tone and quality : rich
a gorgeous fat bass voiceIrish Digest
c
: well stocked
a fat larder
d
: prosperous, wealthy
grew fat on the warTime
e
: being substantial and impressive
a fat bank account
3
a
: richly rewarding or profitable
a fat part in a movie
a fat contract
b
: practically nonexistent
a fat chance
4
: productive, fertile
a fat year for crops
5
informal : stupid, foolish
" … if he had had any sense in his fat head, he would have done it long ago, dash him!"P. G. Wodehouse
6
: being swollen
got a fat lip from the fight
7
of a baseball pitch : easy to hit
fatness noun

fat

2 of 3

verb

fatted; fatting

transitive verb

: to make fat : fatten

fat

3 of 3

noun

1
: animal tissue consisting chiefly of cells distended with greasy or oily matter
2
a
: oily or greasy matter making up the bulk of adipose tissue and often abundant in seeds
b
: any of various compounds of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen that are glycerides of fatty acids, are the chief constituents of plant and animal fat, are a major class of energy-rich food, and are soluble in organic solvents but not in water
c
: a solid or semisolid fat as distinguished from an oil
3
: the best or richest part
4
5
: something in excess : superfluity
trim the fat from the news operationRay Olson
fatless adjective

Examples of fat in a Sentence

Adjective The dog is getting fat because you feed him too much. I can't believe I've let myself get so fat. a fat book of poems a truck with fat tires Noun people with excess body fat a diet and exercise program to help you gain muscle and lose fat Nuts contain a lot of fat. Trim the fat from the meat before you cook it. a diet low in fats fats like butter and olive oil trim the fat off the budget
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
With little near-term help expected from an easing of interest rates, companies will need to deliver fatter profits to justify their big runs in stock price since autumn. Elaine Kurtenbach, Quartz, 18 Apr. 2024 Beauty is inclusive, beauty is tall, skinny fat, red, yellow, brown. Gillian Telling, Peoplemag, 17 Apr. 2024 Over the course of the winter, the furry predators use up those fat stores during hibernation. Hanh Truong, Sacramento Bee, 16 Apr. 2024 One of these markers was higher production of coenzyme A, a molecule that shuttles carbon around cells and is important for breaking down carbs, amino acids and fat into chemical energy. Travis Nemkov, Discover Magazine, 11 Apr. 2024 Those with elevated triglycerides (fat in the blood): High blood levels of triglycerides can increase the risk of heart attack or stroke. Erika Prouty, Verywell Health, 11 Apr. 2024 Weight gain, including belly fat, can occur for many reasons. Carey Rossi, Health, 9 Apr. 2024 It is believed to enhance metabolism and aid in fat burning. Robert James and, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2024 But there’s something else strategic going on, in that the contrast of flavor and texture and color, fat and lean, cold and hot, happens not all on the plate, but between multiple dishes. Jessica Carbone, Saveur, 3 Apr. 2024
Noun
Elijah Anderson-Taylor has impressed after losing 15 pounds of fat and gaining eight pounds of muscle. Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2024 To keep lips hydrated, Kapoor also recommended shea butter and ceramide, a type of fat found in skin cells. Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, CNN, 7 Apr. 2024 From Henry Ford LiveWell 361 calories (21% from fat), 9 grams fat (3.5 grams sat. Bethany Thayer, Detroit Free Press, 6 Apr. 2024 Those who sought help said the health care system routinely overlooked their struggles and used an industry standard of health, the Body Mass Index (a measure of body fat based on a person’s height and weight), that failed to signal their eating disorders. Audrey Richardson and Aurora Sousanis, USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2024 Avocados are also said to help keep your blood sugar levels constant, and to help cholesterol and triglyceride (a type of fat) levels stay low. Sina Petri, Vogue, 5 Apr. 2024 The body processes in animals like iguanas, turtles, snakes and frogs slow down to a near-stop, allowing the animal to use just a small amount of body fat and survive for weeks in cold temperatures. Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 4 Apr. 2024 But the Colorado Botanicals extraction process effectively removes tetrahydrocannabinol, along with chlorophyll, fats, and other plant matter. Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024 Nutrition analysis per serving: 135 calories, 6 g protein, 5 g carbohydrate, 10 g total fat (2 g sat. Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Mar. 2024

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

Word History

Etymology

Adjective, Verb, and Noun

Middle English, from Old English fǣtt, past participle of fǣtan to cram; akin to Old High German feizit fat

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of fat was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near fat

Cite this Entry

“Fat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fat. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

fat

1 of 3 adjective
fatter; fattest
1
2
a
: thick entry 1 sense 1
a fat book
b
: well stocked : abundant
3
: profitable
accepted a fat contract
4
5
: being swollen
got a fat lip in the fight
fatness noun

fat

2 of 3 verb
fatted; fatting
: to make fat : fatten

fat

3 of 3 noun
1
: animal tissue consisting chiefly of cells containing much greasy or oily matter
2
a
: any of numerous compounds of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen that make up most of plant and animal fat, are a major class of energy-rich food, and can be dissolved by ether but not by water
b
: a solid or semisolid fat (as lard) as distinguished from an oil
3
: the best or richest part
the fat of the land
4
: an amount beyond what is usual or needed : excess

Medical Definition

fat

1 of 2 adjective
fatter; fattest
: notable for having an unusual amount of fat
especially : fleshy with superfluous flabby tissue that is not muscle : obese
fatness noun

fat

2 of 2 noun
1
: animal tissue consisting chiefly of cells distended with greasy or oily matter see brown fat
2
a
: oily or greasy matter making up the bulk of adipose tissue
b
: any of numerous compounds of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen that are glycerides of fatty acids, are the chief constituents of plant and animal fat, are a major class of energy-rich food, and are soluble in organic solvents (as ether) but not in water
c
: a solid or semisolid fat as distinguished from an oil
3
: the condition of fatness : obesity

More from Merriam-Webster on fat

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