fat
fat — adjective
- fatpositive
- fattercomparative
- fattestsuperlative
1. If a person or animal is fat, their body has more flesh than what people general
If a person or animal is fat, their body has more flesh than what people generally see as normal or healthy.
On her first visit to the clinic, the nurse told Nala she was slightly fat.
The fat stray cat that slept on Ritu's porch no longer chased any mice.
collocation: fat + animal noun for describing pets
Hamza asked his mother if the school doctor would think he was too fat.
A fat pigeon landed on the bench beside Yael and waited for dropped food.
Yuki adopted a stray dog so fat that the vet put it on a strict diet.
adverbial modifier: so fat + that-clause for result
- visibly fat
- slightly fat
- too fat
- extremely fat
- overweight
more neutral and polite; the standard alternative in everyday speech
- obese
medical term; stronger meaning that suggests a serious health condition
- plump
softer and more positive; usually describes a pleasing roundness
- chubby
informal and gentle; often used for children or cheeks
Usage Note
Calling someone 'fat' directly can sound rude or hurtful in most social situations. More neutral words include 'overweight' for adults and 'heavyset' for body builds. In medical contexts, 'obese' is the technical term for a specific level of excess weight.
Common Mistakes
2. Noticeably wider or thicker than other things of the same type.
Noticeably wider or thicker than other things of the same type.
Jude pulled a fat dictionary from the shelf to check the spelling of a word.
Christopher lit a fat cigar and sat back in his leather armchair.
collocation: fat + object noun (cigar, book, envelope)
A fat envelope arrived from the lawyer containing all the legal documents.
Eric handed his manager a fat report that had taken three weeks to write.
The chef sliced fat pieces of bread and dipped them in olive oil.
fat + piece/cut/slice for thick portions
- fat book
- fat wallet
- fat cigar
- fat envelope
- fat slice
3. In baseball, describing a ball thrown by the pitcher that arrives in a part of t
In baseball, describing a ball thrown by the pitcher that arrives in a part of the strike zone where the batter can hit it with full force.
The pitcher groaned after sending a fat pitch that was hit for a home run.
A fat slider landed right in the middle of the strike zone during the final game of the season.
baseball terminology: fat + pitch type (slider, fastball, curveball)
The coach warned the young pitcher never to throw a fat pitch to a strong batter.
Every hitter on the team hoped for a fat pitch during batting practice.
- fat pitch
- fat fastball
- fat slider
4. Containing a large amount of grease or oil, used especially when talking about m
Containing a large amount of grease or oil, used especially when talking about meals and ingredients.
Hamza tried to cut down on fat foods like fried chicken and potato chips.
collocation: fat food / fat meat / fat cut
The old recipe called for fat cuts of beef that would cook slowly in the pot.
Gabriel's grandmother always used fat pieces of pork when making the stew.
Roya avoided fat meats and chose grilled fish whenever she ate out.
- fat meat
- fat food
- fat cut
- fat piece
Usage Note
This sense is gradually being replaced by 'fatty' for describing food ('fatty meat,' 'fatty cheese'), though 'fat' remains common in traditional recipes and older speech.
Common Mistakes
5. Used in a small set of fixed expressions to say that the amount of something is
Used in a small set of fixed expressions to say that the amount of something is almost nothing, or that something is very unlikely to happen.
Fat chance! Hyun laughed when her little brother said he would clean his room.
informal exclamation: 'Fat chance!' as a dismissive response
A fat lot of good that advice did for the team when they were losing by twenty points.
fixed phrase: 'a fat lot of good' meaning no use at all
Anna knew it was a fat chance that the last train would still be waiting at the station.
Quinn's umbrella did a fat lot of good in the storm — it broke within five minutes.
- fat chance
- a fat lot
- little
neutral word; 'fat lot' is the sarcastic version of 'little'
Grammar Patterns
fat chance + [that-clause]
a fat lot of + [noun]
Usage Note
Despite having 'fat' in the phrase, this sense expresses a negative meaning — the opposite of 'a lot.' 'Fat chance' means 'very little chance,' and 'a fat lot' means 'very little.' The tone is sarcastic and informal.
Common Mistakes
fat chance
idiomUsed to say that something is extremely unlikely to happen, often in a sarcastic or dismissive way.
Fat chance of getting a refund from that shop — they never give money back.
Arjun asked Emily if she would lend him the car, and she laughed and said fat chance.
fat cat
idiomA wealthy and powerful person who is seen as enjoying too many advantages, especially in business or politics.
The fat cats on the board gave themselves a huge bonus while the workers got nothing.
Protesters stood outside the bank shouting that the fat cats should pay more tax.
chew the fat
idiomTo have a long, informal conversation with someone, usually about unimportant topics.
Andrés and Dylan sat on the porch chewing the fat until the sun went down.
The old men met every morning at the cafe to chew the fat over coffee.
To have the best and most comfortable life possible, enjoying plentiful food and resources without much effort.
After winning the lottery, the family lived off the fat of the land for years.
In the fertile valley, generations had lived off the fat of the land with rich harvests every season.
You say this when you think something is very unlikely to happen.
Fat chance of Maya lending you her car for the trip.
Do you think they'll arrive on time? Fat chance!
This phrase means something is completely useless or not helpful at all.
His advice was a fat lot of good when my computer crashed.
A fat lot of use that map is now that we are lost.
You say this to mean that a situation is not finished and the result could still change.
The team is behind but it's not over until the fat lady sings.
Don't give up yet; it's not over until the fat lady sings.
fat — noun
- fatsingular
- fatsplural
1. A soft, energy-rich substance stored beneath the skin of living creatures that h
A soft, energy-rich substance stored beneath the skin of living creatures that helps them stay warm and provides fuel when food is scarce.
Bears build up a thick layer of fat before they go into winter sleep.
collocation: layer of fat / build up fat / store fat
The doctor explained to Roya that some body fat is necessary for good health.
Putri learned in biology class that fat keeps marine animals warm in cold waters.
Penguins have a thick layer of fat under their feathers to survive the Antarctic winter.
Chidi read that the body stores extra fat when you eat more calories than you burn.
verb collocation: store fat / burn fat / lose fat
- body fat
- belly fat
- layer of fat
- store fat
- burn fat
- lose fat
- adipose tissue
medical/technical term for body fat used by doctors and scientists
Usage Note
In health and fitness contexts, 'body fat' is the standard neutral term. 'Fat' alone can be used informally but may sound negative depending on tone.
Common Mistakes
2. Any greasy cooking ingredient sourced from living things such as livestock, fish
Any greasy cooking ingredient sourced from living things such as livestock, fish, or crops, used to prepare and cook meals.
Isabela saved the fat from the bacon to use for frying eggs the next morning.
The recipe says to heat the fat in a large pan before adding the chopped onions.
collocation: heat the fat / cook in fat
Megan prefers to cook with olive oil rather than animal fat from beef or pork.
Vegetable fat is often used in baking to make cakes soft and moist.
Drain the fat from the pan after cooking the minced meat for the spaghetti sauce.
verb collocation: drain fat / render fat
- animal fat
- vegetable fat
- cooking fat
- bacon fat
- drain the fat
- render the fat
- oil
liquid fat, usually from plants; the most common modern cooking fat
- lard
specifically rendered pork fat used in baking and frying
- shortening
solid vegetable fat used in baking for a tender texture
Common Mistakes
fat — verb
- fatpresent simple I / you / we / they
- fats3rd person singular
- fatting-ing form
- fattedpast simple
1. To give food to a creature so that its body becomes heavier and its flesh increa
To give food to a creature so that its body becomes heavier and its flesh increases, usually for sale or slaughter.
The farmer fattened the pigs with grain for three months before taking them to market.
Some families fat geese for several weeks before the big holiday feast.
In the old days, farmers would fat their chickens on kitchen scraps and corn.
pattern: fat + [animal] + on + [food]
The rancher fatted his cattle on rich grass before the autumn auction.
- fat pigs
- fat geese
- fat on grain
- slim down
to lose weight, the opposite action
Grammar Patterns
fat + [animal/person] + up (on/with) + [food]
Usage Note
This verb is old-fashioned in modern English. The more common equivalent is 'fatten' or the phrasal verb 'fat up.' It is rarely used for humans except in humorous or deliberately old-fashioned speech.
fat up
phrasal verbTo make an animal heavier by feeding it a lot, usually before selling or eating it.
The farmer fat up the turkeys with special feed for the Christmas market.
In the weeks before the festival, families would fat up a goat for the celebration dinner.
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: adjective/1
While 'fat' is the most direct and general word for having excess body flesh, it can sound harsh or unkind in many situations. 'Overweight' is the standard polite alternative used in everyday conversation and medical check-ups; it suggests being above a healthy weight without specifying how much. 'Obese' is a stronger medical term that describes a level of excess weight that poses serious health risks — calling someone 'obese' carries more clinical weight than 'fat.' At the gentler end, 'plump' has a positive, almost affectionate tone and is often used for babies or elderly people whose roundness is seen as charming. 'Chubby' is informal and playful, typically describing children or specific body parts like cheeks. For example: a doctor might say a patient is 'overweight,' a friend might joke about her dog being 'chubby,' and a grandmother might proudly call her grandchild 'plump and healthy.' Choose the word based on how direct or gentle you need to be.
Common collocations
Nouns
- fat content
- fat intake
- fat level
- fat percentage
- fat cell
Adverbs
- extremely fat
- slightly fat
- too fat
- visibly fat
Phrases
- fat and happy
- fat of the land
Prepositions
- fat with
Etymology
The word 'fat' comes from Old English 'fǣtt,' which originally meant 'fatted' or 'fattened'—it was the past participle of the verb 'fǣtan' (to cram or make fat). This goes back to a Proto-Germanic root '*faitidaz' meaning 'fatted.' Related words appear across Germanic languages: Old Norse 'feitr,' German 'feist,' and Dutch 'vet.' The noun sense (body fat) developed in Middle English, and the figurative uses (fat chance, fat cat) emerged in the 19th and 20th centuries.