weight

1 of 2

noun

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
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
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 classesA. S. Link
6
: to shift the burden of weight upon
weight the inside ski
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
Noun
Definitively diagnosing someone with pancreatic cancer can involve a series of scans, blood tests and biopsies, which are typically performed only once someone has symptoms, which may include jaundice or yellowing of the eyes and skin, weight loss, belly or back pain, or tiredness and weakness. Jacqueline Howard, CNN, 8 Apr. 2024 Inno Shred Fat Burner This weight loss supplement is made with natural ingredients to help burn fat for maximum weight loss. Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 6 Apr. 2024 Demand overwhelms supply Eli Lilly faces challenges meeting the high demand for its weight loss drugs Mounjaro and Zepbound, with shortages reported on Amazon Pharmacy. Detroit Free Press, 6 Apr. 2024 If the cash were in various denominations, like $5s, $10s and $20s, the weight of $1 million in cash could be closer to 250 pounds (115 kilograms), which could bring the overall weight of last weekend's haul to a whopping 7,500 pounds (3,400 kilograms), or about 3 1/2 tons (3.18 metric tonnes). Sean Murphy, Quartz, 5 Apr. 2024 Last month, Eli Lilly released a commercial ahead of the 2024 Oscars criticizing people in Hollywood who are misusing their weight loss drugs. Vanessa Etienne, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2024 When asked why parents stopped breastfeeding, 80% of respondents reported barriers like lactation or supply issues, concerns about infant nutrition and weight, lack of parental leave and supportive work policies, and lack of lactation support. Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 27 Mar. 2024 This exercise fires up the midsection by stabilizing the weight above the head while lengthening it. Dominique Fluker, Essence, 26 Mar. 2024 Millions of Americans have flocked to this class of drugs which are prescribed for diabetes and weight loss, and have become a blockbuster category of medications for drug companies. Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 25 Mar. 2024
Verb
Borrowers with a mix of undergraduate and graduate debt have payments weighted somewhere between the two. Journal Sentinel, 8 Apr. 2024 Cowboy Carter addresses her detractors and most of the album is weighted by this bid to disprove them. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Apr. 2024 The analysis for each year includes all districts with available data for that year, weighted by district size. Sarah Mervosh, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2024 The difference is that our relationship feels more equally weighted. Annie Lord, Vogue, 16 Mar. 2024 As people returned to what was deemed ‘the new normal’, there was a noticeable shift in the weighting people were willing to allocate to the work domain. Melissa A. Wheeler, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024 Scoop up this stylish chunky knitted weighted blanket for something that looks good draped over the couch when not in use. Katiee McKinstry, Rolling Stone, 21 Feb. 2024 This and other groups were weighted back to their share of the adult population according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Scott Clement, Washington Post, 15 Feb. 2024 These links are intended to break when whales swim into them, so that the whales do not become entangled and weighted down by ropes and traps. Joshua Reed, The Conversation, 13 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'weight.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Dictionary Entries Near weight

Cite this Entry

“Weight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/weight. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

weight

1 of 2 noun
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 is for a verdict of guilty

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
1
: the amount that a thing weighs
2
: a unit of weight or mass

More from Merriam-Webster on weight

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