From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdeadweightdead‧weight, dead weight /ˈdedweɪt/ noun [singular] 1 something that is very heavy and difficult to carry2 someone or something that prevents you from making progress or being successful
Examples from the Corpus
deadweight• Almost every staffroom in the land will rejoice again tomorrow at the final lifting of a deadweight on morale and hope.• He's told me what a deadweight you were to him.From Longman Business Dictionarydeadweightdead‧weight /ˈdedweɪt/ adjectiveTRANSPORT deadweight tons or tonnes are a measure of a ship’s weight when it is emptyThe maximum size vessel that can use the Panama Canal is a ship of about 65,000 deadweight tons. 