outweigh
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to exceed in value, importance, influence, etc..
The advantages of the plan outweighed its defects.
- Synonyms:
- override, eclipse, overshadow, surpass
-
to exceed in weight.
The champion will probably outweigh his opponent.
-
to be too heavy or burdensome for.
Collapse may follow if the load outweighs its supports.
verb
-
to prevail over; overcome
his desire outweighed his discretion
-
to be more important or significant than
-
to be heavier than
Etymology
Origin of outweigh
Explanation
To outweigh is to be heavier or more important than something (or someone). A preschooler's needs might outweigh those of his uncle, even if the uncle does outweigh him by 200 pounds. Your Great Dane definitely outweighs your kitten, just like your car outweighs your bicycle and you outweigh the ant you just accidentally stepped on. If someone says "the benefits outweigh the risks," they mean that what can be gained is much more significant that what might be lost or risked: "I think you should apply for that scholarship; the benefits really outweigh the risks."
Vocabulary lists containing outweigh
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"The Hand of Fatima" and "Old Ways, New World"
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out (beyond)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Outweigh, owt-wā′, v.t. to exceed in weight or importance: to overtask.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R) by Various
Can thy good deeds in former times Outweigh the balance of thy crimes?
From Library of the World's Best Literature, Ancient and Modern, Vol. 15 by Various
So our world is made Of life and death commingled; and the sighs Outweigh the smiles, in equal balance laid: What compensation?
From The Complete Poetical Works of James Russell Lowell by Lowell, James Russell
Can all the so-called glory, That man to man can pay, Outweigh the dire inheritance Of this unhallowed fray?
From Home Lyrics by Battersby, H. S. (Hannah S.)
She had thought on death before: But no, this Muriel was not yet to die; And when she saw her little tender babe, She felt how much the happy days of life Outweigh the sorrowful.
From Poems by Jean Ingelow, In Two Volumes, Volume I. by Ingelow, Jean
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
