worth

¹ American  

[wurth] / wɜrθ /

preposition

1. good or important enough to justify (what is specified).

   advice worth taking;

   a place worth visiting.

2. having a value of, or equal in value to, as in money.

   This vase is worth 12 dollars.

3. having property to the value or amount of.

   They are worth millions.

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noun

1. excellence of character or quality as commanding esteem.

   women of worth.

2. usefulness or importance, as to the world, to a person, or for a purpose.

   Your worth to the world is inestimable.

3. value, as in money.

4. a quantity of something of a specified value.

   ten cents' worth of candy.

5. wealth; riches; property or possessions.

   net worth.

idioms

1. for all one is worth, to the utmost.

   He ran for all he was worth.

2. for what it’s worth, whether or not (what is stated) is useful or important enough to justify.

   For what it’s worth, I think you should apologize to him.

worth ² American  

[wurth] / wɜrθ /

verb (used without object)

Archaic.

1. to happen or betide.

   woe worth the day.

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Worth ³ American  

[wurth] / wɜrθ /

noun

1. a town in NE Illinois.

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worth ¹ British  

/ wɜːθ /

adjective

1. worthy of; meriting or justifying

   it's not worth discussing

   an idea worth some thought

2. having a value of

   the book is worth 30 pounds

3. to the utmost; to the full extent of one's powers or ability

4. extremely helpful, kind, etc

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noun

1. high quality; excellence

2. value, price

3. the amount or quantity of something of a specified value

   five pounds worth of petrol

Worth ² British  

/ wɜːθ, vɔrt /

noun

1. Charles Frederick. 1825–95, English couturier, who founded Parisian haute couture

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worth ³ British  

/ wɜːθ /

verb

1. archaic (intr) to happen or betide (esp in the phrase woe worth the day )

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worth More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing worth

• for all one is worth
• game is not worth the candle
• get one's money's worth
• not worth a damn
• picture is worth a thousand words

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Related Words

See desert. See value.

Etymology

Origin of worth¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English weorth, worth, wurth; cognate with Old High German werd, Old Frisian werth, Old Norse verthr, Gothic wairths

Origin of worth²

First recorded before 900; Middle English worthen, Old English wurthan, weorthan, wyrthan; cognate with German werden, Old Norse vertha, Gothic wairthan “to become,” Latin vertere “to turn”; verse

Example Sentences

When we visited the area last week, Akkerkloof dam had just 20 days' worth of reserves.

From BBC

Restoration work was carried out on both the building and its contents, including rewaxing a rare Chippendale bookcase estimated to be worth about £20m.

From BBC

“The assault is already being compromised at almost every turn, and I think at the end the administration will understand that the juice isn’t worth the squeeze.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Disney’s Imagineers started whipping up designs, but Disneyland executives worried estimated costs ranging from $500 million to $1.5 billion weren’t worth it, some of the people said.

From The Wall Street Journal

But the company’s real challenge now is convincing customers that a burrito is still worth the price—and getting them back into its existing restaurants.

From Barron's

Related Words

• account
• aid
• benefit
• cost
• credit
• price
• quality
• rate
• valuation