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
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
outweighsimple
-
outweighssimple
-
have outweighedperfect
-
has outweighedperfect
-
am outweighingprogressive
-
are outweighingprogressive
-
is outweighingprogressive
-
have been outweighingperfect progressive
-
has been outweighingperfect progressive
Past
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outweighedsimple
-
had outweighedperfect
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was outweighingprogressive
-
were outweighingprogressive
-
had been outweighingperfect progressive
Future
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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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.
It doesn’t promote short-term behavior and its costs, modest as they are, don’t outweigh its benefits.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 8, 2026
Ada is facing a make-or-break debut and struggling with a homesickness that seems to outweigh her desire to model.
From Salon • Jun. 29, 2026
Doctors who are prescribing GLP-1s to children under 12 say the all-but-certain health problems that occur with severe obesity might outweigh their worries about potential unknown long-term effects of the drugs.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 22, 2026
Most say growth and profits will outweigh the risk of interest-rate hikes and surging energy prices.
From Barron's • Jun. 17, 2026
“I would be racked with guilt,” he admitted, “were I not devoted to the belief that the results you will produce will more than outweigh their claim.”
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
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.
