weigh

[ wey ]

/ weɪ /

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See synonyms for: weigh / weighed / weighing / weighable on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

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.

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

to measure, separate, or apportion (a certain quantity of something) according to weight (usually followed by out): to weigh out five pounds of sugar.

to make heavy; increase the weight or bulk of; weight: We weighed the drapes to make them hang properly.

to evaluate in the mind; consider carefully in order to reach an opinion, decision, or choice: to weigh the facts; to weigh a proposal.

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

Obsolete. to think important; esteem.

verb (used without object)

to have weight or a specified amount of weight: to weigh less; to weigh a ton.

to have importance, moment, or consequence: Your recommendation weighs heavily in his favor.

to bear down as a weight or burden (usually followed by on or upon): Responsibility weighed upon her.

to consider carefully or judicially: to weigh well before deciding.

(of a ship) to raise the anchor and get under way: The ship weighed early and escaped in the fog.

Verb Phrases

weigh down,

to cause to become bowed under a weight: snow and ice weighing down the trees.
to lower the spirits of; burden; depress: This predicament weighs me down.

weigh in,

(of a boxer or wrestler) to be weighed by a medical examiner on the day of a bout.
to be of the weight determined by such a weighing: He weighed in at 170 pounds.
(of a jockey) to be weighed with the saddle and weights after a race.
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.

weigh out, Horse Racing. (of a jockey)

to be weighed with the saddle and weights before a race.
to be of the weight determined by such a weighing.

OTHER WORDS FOR weigh

5 ponder, contemplate.

See synonyms for weigh on Thesaurus.com

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The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.

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Idioms about weigh

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

weigh one's words. word (def. 29).

Origin of weigh

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”

synonym study for weigh

5. See study.

OTHER WORDS FROM weigh

weigh·a·ble, adjectiveweigher, nounun·weigh·a·ble, adjectiveun·weigh·ing, adjective

well-weighed, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH weigh

way, weigh

Other definitions for weigh (2 of 2)

weigh²

[ wey ]

/ weɪ /

Idioms

under weigh, Nautical. in motion; under way.

Origin of weigh

First recorded in 1775–85; spelling variant of way¹ by association with weigh anchor

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use weigh in a sentence

Put a small plate over the cheese in the strainer and then a can or another object atop the plate to weigh it down.
Ease into Winter with Backcountry-Approved Comfort Food|Christina Bernstein|November 12, 2020|Outside Online
As he weighed his options, Cornish didn’t rule out any location.
Maryland basketball signs a trio of four-star players, including two with Baltimore roots|Emily Giambalvo|November 12, 2020|Washington Post
Hinze, the Encinitas councilwoman, similarly said that she weighed the possibility of continued harassment when deciding whether to seek re-election, but ultimately felt a responsibility to run.
Women Politicians Across the County Say They’ve Faced Harassment, Threats|Kayla Jimenez|November 9, 2020|Voice of San Diego
Every year, some states6 allow citizens to bypass their elected representatives and weigh in directly on an issue — bringing policy to the forefront of the campaign in a way it often is not in candidate elections.
The 21 Ballot Measures We’re Watching This Election|Nathaniel Rakich (nathaniel.rakich@fivethirtyeight.com)|October 31, 2020|FiveThirtyEight

To weigh in on the categories “Ken Jennings and Kylie Jenner” and “Alex Tribeca,” the Empress recruited Ken Jennings himself!
Style Invitational Week 1408: Re-Organization — tweak the name of a charity|Pat Myers|October 29, 2020|Washington Post
It was after having shown me these radiations, the other day, that the experiment of the letter-weigher took place.
Mysterious Psychic Forces|Camille Flammarion
A very curious experiment made with a letter-weigher took place at l'Agnélas.
Mysterious Psychic Forces|Camille Flammarion
After he had secured this room from a semi-respectable Irish landlady, a dock weigher's wife, he decided to call upon M. Charles.
The "Genius"|Theodore Dreiser
If he had come on working as a getter, I should ha' been nowhere; he's a weigher now and makes fat, and his muscles are flabby.
Facing Death|G. A. Henty
Get thee hence ere I break every bone in thy body; thou weigher of scruples, thou splitter of straws.
The Life of a Celebrated Buccaneer|Richard Clynton

British Dictionary definitions for weigh (1 of 2)

weigh¹

/ (weɪ) /

verb

(tr) to measure the weight of

(intr) to have weight or be heavyshe weighs more than her sister

(tr often foll by out) to apportion according to weight

(tr) to consider carefullyto weigh the facts of a case

(intr) to be influentialhis words weighed little with the jury

(intr often foll by on) to be oppressive or burdensome (to)

obsolete to regard or esteem

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

Derived forms of weigh

weighable, adjectiveweigher, noun

Word Origin for weigh

Old English wegan; related to Old Frisian wega, Old Norse vega, Gothic gawigan, German wiegen

British Dictionary definitions for weigh (2 of 2)

weigh²

/ (weɪ) /

noun

under weigh a variant spelling of under way

Word Origin for weigh

C18: variation due to the influence of phrases such as to weigh anchor

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

weigh

OTHER WORDS FOR weigh

Idioms about weigh

Origin of weigh

synonym study for weigh

OTHER WORDS FROM weigh

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH weigh

Other definitions for weigh (2 of 2)

Origin of weigh

Words related to weigh

How to use weigh in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for weigh (1 of 2)

Derived forms of weigh

Word Origin for weigh

British Dictionary definitions for weigh (2 of 2)

Word Origin for weigh