weigh

¹ American  

[wey] / weɪ /

verb (used with object)

weighs, present (3rd person singular) weighed, past participle, past weighing present participle

1. to determine or ascertain the force that gravitation exerts upon (a person or thing) by use of a balance, scale, or other mechanical device.

   to weigh oneself; to weigh potatoes; to weigh gases.

2. to hold up or balance, as in the hand, in order to estimate the weight.

3. to measure, separate, or apportion (a certain quantity of something) according to weight (usually followed byout ).

   to weigh out five pounds of sugar.

4. to make heavy; increase the weight or bulk of; weight.

   We weighed the drapes to make them hang properly.

5. to evaluate in the mind; consider carefully in order to reach an opinion, decision, or choice.

   to weigh the facts; to weigh a proposal.

   Synonyms:

   contemplate, ponder

6. Archaic. to raise, lift, or hoist (something).

7. Obsolete. to think important; esteem.

---

verb (used without object)

weighs, present (3rd person singular) weighed, past participle, past weighing present participle

1. to have weight or a specified amount of weight.

   to weigh less; to weigh a ton.

2. to have importance, moment, or consequence.

   Your recommendation weighs heavily in his favor.

3. to bear down as a weight or burden (usually followed by on orupon ).

   Responsibility weighed upon her.

4. to consider carefully or judicially.

   to weigh well before deciding.

5. (of a ship) to raise the anchor and get under way.

   The ship weighed early and escaped in the fog.

verb phrase

1. weigh down

   1. to cause to become bowed under a weight.

      snow and ice weighing down the trees.

   2. to lower the spirits of; burden; depress.

      This predicament weighs me down.

2. weigh in

   1. (of a boxer or wrestler) to be weighed by a medical examiner on the day of a bout.

   2. to be of the weight determined by such a weighing.

      He weighed in at 170 pounds.

   3. (of a jockey) to be weighed with the saddle and weights after a race.

   4. Informal. to offer an opinion, advice, support, etc., especially in a forceful or authoritative way.

      The chairman weighed in with an idea for the fundraiser.

3. weigh out (of a jockey)

   1. to be weighed with the saddle and weights before a race.

   2. to be of the weight determined by such a weighing.

idioms

1. weigh one's words. word.

2. weigh anchor, to heave up a ship's anchor in preparation for getting under way.

weigh ² American  

[wey] / weɪ /

idioms

1. under weigh, in motion; under way.

---

weigh ¹ British  

/ weɪ /

verb

1. (tr) to measure the weight of

2. (intr) to have weight or be heavy

   she weighs more than her sister

3. to apportion according to weight

4. (tr) to consider carefully

   to weigh the facts of a case

5. (intr) to be influential

   his words weighed little with the jury

6. to be oppressive or burdensome (to)

7. obsolete to regard or esteem

8. to raise a vessel's anchor or (of a vessel) to have its anchor raised preparatory to departure

---

weigh ² British  

/ weɪ /

noun

1. a variant spelling of under way

---

Synonym Usage

See study.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• weigher
  noun
• well-weighed
  adjective
• unweighing
  adjective
• weighable
  adjective
• unweighable
  adjective

Conjugated Forms

Present

• has weighed
  perfect 3rd person singular
• have weighed
  perfect
• is weighing
  progressive 3rd person singular
• has been weighing
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• am weighing
  progressive 1st person singular
• are weighing
  progressive
• have been weighing
  perfect progressive
• weighing
  participle
• weighs
  singular 3rd person

Past

• had weighed
  perfect
• was weighing
  progressive singular
• were weighing
  progressive plural
• had been weighing
  perfect progressive
• weighed
  simple
• weighed
  participle

Future

• will weigh
  simple
• will have weighed
  perfect
• will be weighing
  progressive
• will have been weighing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of weigh¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English weien, wein, weighen, Old English wegan “to carry, weigh”; cognate with Dutch wegen, German wägen, Old Norse vega; akin to Latin vehere “to carry, convey”

Origin of weigh²

First recorded in 1775–85; spelling variant of way ¹ by association with weigh anchor

Explanation

To weigh is all about judging; you could be seeing how heavy something is or if it is a good choice. You could weigh the tomatoes you're buying or weigh your options when applying to college. To weigh something can mean to physically assess its weight — is it 3 pounds? 40 kilos? 22 grams? But it's no accident that the symbol for justice is often a scale. That's because all of the facts of a case need to be weighed or evaluated for justice to be served. And hopefully the decision will be balanced and fair.

Example Sentences

Prices have hovered around the $95 mark in the past week as traders weigh the conflict's long-term impact on global energy flows.

From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026

Airline executives descend on Rio this weekend to weigh the prospects for an industry grappling with geopolitical turbulence, soaring fuel costs and travellers wary of chasing sky-high ticket prices.

From Barron's • Jun. 6, 2026

BNP Paribas economists anticipate the recovery trend in capital expenditure to remain on track, unless critical supply chain bottlenecks emerge, which could drastically weigh on production and corporate revenue.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026

Recent data, however, only shows “stabilization,” he said, pointing to decelerating wage growth, eroding real incomes and ongoing inflation pressures as factors likely to weigh on growth and drive Treasury yields lower.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 4, 2026

I cry as she whisks me into the air and spins me around like I weigh nothing.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

Related Words

• analyze
• balance
• estimate
• evaluate
• examine
• ponder