Meaning & use
puppy fat
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountableinformalBritish
Extra body weight that some children carry, expected to disappear as they grow older and taller.
Grammar: Uncountable: a bit of puppy fat, not a puppy fat.
Patterns
- lose the puppy fat
- grow out of puppy fat
My nephew still has some puppy fat, but he grew four inches this year.
She lost her puppy fat during her teens and became very athletic.
The doctor said the puppy fat was nothing to worry about.
Common combinations
- lose puppy fat
- He lost his puppy fat once he started playing football.
- a bit of puppy fat
- She had a bit of puppy fat around her cheeks.
- grow out of puppy fat
- Most children grow out of their puppy fat.
- shed puppy fat
- The boy shed his puppy fat over the summer.
Synonyms and how they differ
- baby fat
- Baby fat is the usual American term and refers to younger children, while puppy fat is used more often for older children and teenagers.
- chubbiness
- Chubbiness describes a rounded body shape generally and does not suggest it will pass.
- plumpness
- Plumpness is a neutral word for being slightly overweight and has no link to growth.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: puppy fat or baby fat?
puppy fat vs baby fat
Baby fat is the American equivalent. Both mean temporary childhood weight, but puppy fat is mainly British.
Practice
Her mother said the extra weight was just puppy fat. What did she mean?
Choose one answer.
Puppy fat is temporary weight in childhood that usually disappears with growth. It is unrelated to dogs themselves.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “puppy fat”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.