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

Adding leadership to her basketball IQ, court vision, defense, quickness, shooting, passing and dribbling has made Smith a complete player, one who is poised for a senior season worth talking about.

From Los Angeles Times

For the first couple of years, our net worth hovered just above zero, but as our earnings increased, we started to set aside $1,000 monthly for emergency savings and our modest retirement fund.

From The Wall Street Journal

Analysts remain bullish on both stocks, for what it’s worth.

From Barron's

He landed his aircraft with just 30 minutes worth of fuel in the tank.

From The Wall Street Journal

For others, the band's break proved worth the wait.

From BBC

Related Words

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