TOP

Definition of fat adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

fat

adjective
 
 
/fæt/
 
/fæt/
(comparative fatter, superlative fattest)
Word Family
  • fat adjective
  • fatty adjective
  • fatten verb
  • fattening adjective
Idioms
jump to other results
  1.  
     (of a person’s or an animal’s body) having too much flesh on it and weighing too much
    • a fat dog
    • You'll get fat if you eat so much chocolate.
    • He grew fatter and fatter.
    • Do these jeans make me look fat?
    Vocabulary Building Saying that somebody is fatSaying that somebody is fat
    • Fat is the most common and direct word, but it is not polite to say to somebody that they are fat:
      • Does this dress make me look fat?
      • You’re looking fat now.
    • Overweight is a more neutral word:
      • I’m a bit overweight.
      It can also mean too fat, especially so that you are not fit.
    • Large or heavy is less offensive than fat:
      • She’s a rather large woman.
      Big describes somebody who is tall as well as fat:
      • He's a big guy, isn't he?
    • Plump means slightly fat in an attractive way, often used to describe women.
    • Chubby is used mainly to describe babies and children who are fat in a pleasant, healthy-looking way:
      • the baby’s chubby cheeks
    • Tubby (informal) is used in a friendly way to describe people who are short and round, especially around the stomach.
    • Stocky is a neutral word and means fairly short, broad and strong.
    • Stout is often used to describe older people who have a round and heavy appearance:
      • a short stout man with a bald head
    • Flabby describes body parts that are fat and loose:
      • exercises to firm up flabby thighs
    • Obese is used by doctors to describe people who are so fat that they are unhealthy. It is also used in a general way to mean ‘really fat’.
    Note that although people talk a lot about their own size or weight, it is generally not considered polite to refer to a person’s large size or their weight when you talk to them.note at thin
    opposite thin
    Extra Examples
    • The baby held out its fat little hand to me.
    • Try to cut out the foods that are making you fat.
    Topics Appearancea1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
    • be
    • feel
    • look
    • …
    adverb
    • enormously
    • hugely
    • immensely
    • …
    phrases
    • big fat
    See full entry
  2. (of meat) containing a lot of fat
    • fat bacon/sausages
  3. thick or wide
    • a fat volume on American history
    • a big fat envelope stuffed with banknotes
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs
    • be
    • feel
    • look
    • …
    adverb
    • enormously
    • hugely
    • immensely
    • …
    phrases
    • big fat
    See full entry
  4. [only before noun] (informal) large in quantity; worth a lot of money
    • a fat sum/profit
    • He gave me a nice fat cheque.
    More Like This Consonant-doubling adjectivesConsonant-doubling adjectives
    5. Word OriginOld English fǣtt ‘well fed, plump’, also ‘fatty, oily’, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch vet and German feist.
Idioms
(a) fat chance (of something/doing something)
  1. (informal) used for saying that you do not believe something is likely to happen
    • ‘They might let us in without tickets.’ ‘Fat chance of that!’
    • Fat chance of him helping you!
a fat lot of good, use, etc.
  1. (informal) not at all good or useful
    • Paul can't drive so he was a fat lot of use when I broke my arm.
it’s not over until the fat lady sings
  1. (saying) used for saying that a situation may still change, for example that a contest, election, etc. is not finished yet, and somebody still has a chance to win it
See fat in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee fat in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: fat

Nearby words

elaborate
adjective
 
 
From the Word list
Oxford 5000
C1
Oxford Learner's Dictionaries Word of the Day