English Dictionary | Thesaurus | Translator | COBUILD Grammar Patterns | Scrabble | Blog
  • English
  • This page in
    American
    Italiano
    Deutsch
    Español
    Português
    हिंदी
    简体中文
| Sign Up | Log In
 
English
Menu
English Dictionary Thesaurus Translator Grammar Scrabble Blog
  • English
  • This page in
    American
    Italiano
    Deutsch
    Español
    Português
    हिंदी
    简体中文
Sign Up Log In

Definition of 'body mass index'

body mass index

singular noun
A person's body mass index is a measurement that represents the relationship between their weight and their height.
[medicine]
...those with a body mass index of 30 and over.
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers

body mass index in British

noun
an index used to indicate whether a person is over- or underweight. It is obtained by dividing a person's weight in kilograms by the square of their height in metres. An index of 20–25 is normal
. Abbreviation: BMI
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers

body mass index in American

a meaurement used to estimate body fat and classify persons as being underweight, overweight, or normal: it is calculated by dividing weight (in kilograms) by the square of height (in meters)
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.

Example sentences containing 'body mass index'

These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content. Read more…
It found these were directly linked to the rise in figures recording people 's body mass index. The Sun (2014)This raises the question of whether their height affects their body mass index, which is used to determine obesity. Times, Sunday Times (2014)

Nearby words of 'body mass index'

  • body lotion
  • body louse
  • body mass
  • body mass index
  • body mechanics
  • body mike
  • body modification

  • All ENGLISH words that begin with 'B'

Source

Definition of body mass index from the Collins English Dictionary

Used to

The verb used to is a‘marginal’ modal verb. Unlike the other modal verbs, it is only found in the past tense. Therefore, when it is used with do to make negatives and questions, the form of the auxil...
Read more about 'Used to'
Word of the day:
Gaia
the goddess of the earth, who bore Uranus and by him Oceanus , Cronus , and the Titans
See full definition
Apr 22, 2018
Fed up with the great British weather? Here’s how to afford that dream summer escape
From planning early to knowing where to look, these top tips will help you fulfil your summer holiday desires
Read more
The etymology behind 4 eggs-ellent Springtime words
We’ve explored the diverse etymology of 4 eggs-ellent words associated with spring.
Read more
Up Lit, Alexa Laugh & Meet Me at McDonald’s Hair: March’s Words In The News
Catch up on the latest words in the news this March with Robert Groves.
Read more
Join the Collins community
All the latest wordy news, linguistic insights, offers and competitions every month.
Read more
Latest Word Submissions
Barrecore Apr 18, 2018
wido Apr 18, 2018
centimorgan Apr 17, 2018
gender expansive Apr 16, 2018
Carthritis Apr 15, 2018
Submit View More
Browse the English Dictionary
  • #
  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
  • J
  • K
  • L
  • M
  • N
  • O
  • P
  • Q
  • R
  • S
  • T
  • U
  • V
  • W
  • X
  • Y
  • Z
View all dictionaries...
  • View more
  • API
  • B2B Partnerships
  • Advertising
  • Word Banks
  • Collins COBUILD
  • Collins ELT
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Contact us
  • Languages
  • English
  • Thesaurus
  • Grammar
  • French
  • German
  • Spanish
  • Italian
  • Chinese
  • Portuguese
  • Hindi
  • Word Lists
  • Word of the Year
  • Scrabble
  • COBUILD Anniversary
© Collins 2018