dead weight

noun
1.
the heavy, unrelieved weight of anything inert:
The dead weight of the bear's body was over 300 pounds.
2.
a heavy or oppressive burden or responsibility.
3.
the weight of a railroad car, truck, etc., as distinct from its load or contents.
Also, deadweight.
Origin
1650-60
Examples from the web for dead weight
  • If the dead weight loss is less than the public benefit, then it should.
  • These changes added to the dead weight of the structure.
  • Gravity walls derive their capacity to resist lateral loads through dead weight of the wall.
British Dictionary definitions for dead weight

dead weight

noun
1.
a heavy weight or load
2.
an oppressive burden; encumbrance
3.
the difference between the loaded and the unloaded weights of a ship
4.
another name for dead load
5.
(in shipping) freight chargeable by weight rather than by bulk
Idioms and Phrases with dead weight

dead weight

A heavy or oppressive burden, as in That police record will be a dead weight on his career. This term alludes to the unrelieved weight of an inert mass. [ Early 1700s ]