weight

1 of 2

noun

ˈwāt How to pronounce weight (audio)
Synonyms of weightnext
1
a
: the amount that a thing weighs
b(1)
: the standard or established amount that a thing should weigh
(2)
: one of the classes into which contestants in a sports event are divided according to body weight
(3)
: poundage required to be carried by a horse in a handicap race
2
a
: a quantity or thing weighing a fixed and usually specified amount
b
: a heavy object (such as a metal ball) thrown, put, or lifted as an athletic exercise or contest
3
a
: a unit of weight or mass see Metric System Table
b
: a piece of material (such as metal) of known specified weight for use in weighing articles
c
: a system of related units of weight
4
a
: something heavy : load
b
: a heavy object to hold or press something down or to counterbalance
5
a
: burden, pressure
the weight of their responsibilities
b
: the quality or state of being ponderous
c
: corpulence
6
a
: relative heaviness : mass
b
: the force with which a body is attracted toward the earth or a celestial body by gravitation and which is equal to the product of the mass and the local gravitational acceleration
7
a
: the relative importance or authority accorded something
the weight of her opinions
b
: measurable influence especially on others
throwing his weight behind the proposal
8
: overpowering force
9
: the quality (such as lightness) that makes a fabric or garment suitable for a particular use or season
—often used in combination
summer-weight
10
: a numerical coefficient assigned to an item to express its relative importance in a frequency distribution
11
: the degree of thickness of the strokes of a type character
weight table

weight

2 of 2

verb

weighted; weighting; weights

transitive verb

1
: to oppress with a burden
weighted down with cares
2
a
: to load or make heavy with or as if with a weight
b
: to increase in heaviness by adding an ingredient
3
a
: weigh sense 1
b
: to feel the weight of : heft
4
: to assign a statistical weight to
5
: to cause to incline in a particular direction by manipulation
the tax structure … which was weighted so heavily in favor of the upper classes—A. S. Link
6
: to shift the burden of weight upon
weight the inside ski

Synonyms

Noun

Verb

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 
Choose the Right Synonym for weight

importance, consequence, moment, weight, significance mean a quality or aspect having great worth or significance.

importance implies a value judgment of the superior worth or influence of something or someone.

a region with no cities of importance

consequence generally implies importance because of probable or possible effects.

the style you choose is of little consequence

moment implies conspicuous or self-evident consequence.

a decision of great moment

weight implies a judgment of the immediate relative importance of something.

the argument carried no weight with the judge

significance implies a quality or character that should mark a thing as important but that is not self-evident and may or may not be recognized.

the treaty's significance

influence, authority, prestige, weight, credit mean power exerted over the minds or behavior of others.

influence may apply to a force exercised and received consciously or unconsciously.

used her influence to get the bill passed

authority implies the power of winning devotion or allegiance or of compelling acceptance and belief.

his opinions lacked authority

prestige implies the ascendancy given by conspicuous excellence or reputation for superiority.

the prestige of the newspaper

weight implies measurable or decisive influence in determining acts or choices.

their wishes obviously carried much weight

credit suggests influence that arises from the confidence of others.

his credit with the press

Examples of weight in a Sentence

Noun Please indicate your height and weight on the form. The boat sank under the weight of the cargo. Those columns have to be strong enough to support the weight of the roof. He stays in good shape by lifting weights. I use pie weights to keep the pie crust from bubbling when I bake it. Verb I weighted the fishing line with a lead sinker. weighted the car with a ton of furniture and then headed off for college
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Municipalities turned to these substances as an alternative to chlorine, because chlorine’s byproducts in water have been associated with possible adverse health effects such as elevated risks of colon and bladder cancer, low birth weight, and miscarriage. —Tom Hawking, Popular Science, 22 Nov. 2024 Body weight Your body weight can affect how soft or firm a mattress feels. —Heather Cruickshank, SELF, 21 Nov. 2024
Verb
The figures have been weighted and are representative of all U.S. adults (aged 18+). —Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 2 Nov. 2024 The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, education, 2020 election turnout and presidential vote, baseline party identification, and current voter registration status. —David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for weight 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English wight, weght, from Old English wiht; akin to Old Norse vætt weight, Old English wegan to weigh

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1647, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of weight was before the 12th century

Phrases Containing weight

Dictionary Entries Near weight

weighshaft

weight

weightage

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Weight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/weight. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

weight

1 of 2 noun
ˈwāt How to pronounce weight (audio)
1
a
: the amount that something weighs
b
: the standard amount that something should weigh
fined for selling meat under weight
2
a
: a quantity or portion weighing usually a certain amount
equal weights of flour and butter
b
: a heavy object (as a metal ball) used in athletic exercises and contests
3
a
: a unit (as a pound or kilogram) of weight or mass see measure see metric system
b
: an object (as a piece of metal) of known weight for balancing a scale in weighing other objects
4
a
: something heavy : load
b
: a heavy object used to hold, press down, or balance something else
clock weights
5
: a mental or emotional burden
had a weight on my conscience
6
: the force with which a body is attracted toward the earth or a heavenly body by gravitation
7
a
: the importance given to something
opinions that carry weight
b
: the greater or more impressive part
the weight of the evidence

weight

2 of 2 verb
1
: to load or make heavy with a weight
2
: to trouble with a burden
weighted down with cares

Medical Definition

weight

noun
ˈwāt How to pronounce weight (audio)
1
: the amount that a thing weighs
2
: a unit of weight or mass

More from Merriam-Webster on weight

Nglish: Translation of weight for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of weight for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about weight

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