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
Further, no evidence suggests that eating carom seeds can reduce belly fat. Lana Barhum, Verywell Health, 24 Oct. 2024 Trim fat: Remove from oven and let rest at room temperature before carving, about 20 minutes. Liv Dansky, Southern Living, 23 Oct. 2024 Ani tries to convince her wealthy husband to stand up to his parents — to prove that their love is more than the promise of a green card and a fat check — while Toros, Garnick and Igor try to capture the nepo baby who has once again made their life difficult. Amanda Luberto, The Arizona Republic, 23 Oct. 2024 Its 20-inch alloy rims are wrapped in cool-looking whitewall fat tires for rolling through city streets and beyond. Paul Ridden, New Atlas, 20 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for fat 

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 31 Oct. 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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