worth

1 of 4

noun

ˈwərth 

1

a

: monetary value

farmhouse and lands of little worth

b

: the equivalent of a specified amount or figure

a dollar's worth of gas

2

: the value of something measured by its qualities or by the esteem in which it is held

a literary heritage of great worth

3

a

: moral or personal value

trying to teach human worth

b

: merit, excellence

a field in which we have proved our worth

4

: wealth, riches

worth

2 of 4

preposition

1

a

: equal in value to

b

: having assets or income equal to

2

: deserving of

well worth the effort

worth

3 of 4

adjective

1

archaic : having monetary or material value

2

archaic : estimable

worth

4 of 4

verb

worthed; worthing; worths

intransitive verb

archaic

: become

—usually used in the phrase woe worth

Phrases

worth one's salt

: of substantial or significant value or merit

for all one is worth

: to the fullest extent of one's value or ability see also for what it's worth

Synonyms

Noun

• account
• merit
• valuation
• value

Examples of worth in a Sentence

Noun

A diamond's worth is determined partly by its cut and clarity.

The worth of the stocks has increased.

The furniture was of little worth since it was in such bad condition.

He has proved his worth to the team.

The book has proved its worth by saving me hundreds of dollars.

Preposition

an actor worth several million dollars

The corporation is worth billions of dollars.

A carefully written cover letter and resume is worth the effort.

It takes a long time to get a table at the restaurant, but the food is well worth the wait.

The movie was good, but I didn't think it was worth all the fuss.

Chicago is worth a visit. I think you'll really like it.

Do you think the car is worth buying?

It is worth noting that his father and mother are also doctors.

This book is not worth reading.

an idea well worth consideration

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

But for Adidas, the breakup with Ye and his sneaker brand was a public relations and financial disaster that left the company with 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion) worth of unsold inventory in various stages of development. —Lila MacLellan, Fortune, 26 Apr. 2024

The true value of solar energy generation should be self-sustaining and unsubsidized, otherwise real worth is inaccurate and misleading. —Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Apr. 2024

Lucas, who turns 80 on May 14, has a net worth of $5.5 billion, according to Forbes’ 2024 list. —Bob Goldsborough, The Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2024

How much is TikTok worth in 2024? TikTok is likely worth $100 billion, according to Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives. —Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 25 Apr. 2024

Given a large enough earthquake, as in 1964, that buildup of thousands of years’ worth of silt can shake loose. —Christian Elliott, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Apr. 2024

The Lobby Bar is sumptuous, with a bar top that accommodates a Parthenon’s worth of marble, and banquettes that are cozy and velvety. —Gary Shteyngart, The New Yorker, 24 Apr. 2024

District data shows that students who used the program at all averaged a year’s worth of academic growth in a school year. —Silas Allen, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Apr. 2024

Today, her personal net worth stands at a reported $180 million. —James McClain, Robb Report, 24 Apr. 2024

Preposition

Aim to keep on hand at least three to six months’ worth of all nonnegotiable living expenses. Carry sufficient insurance. —Dallas News, 30 Oct. 2022

Are common multivitamins worth the money?New study explores the benefits, harms. —Dr. Michael Daignault, USA TODAY, 3 Nov. 2022

Both of those prop bets came through for bettors and there are several others for postseason team performance and individual awards worth keeping an eye on. —Jason Hoffman, The Enquirer, 13 Jan. 2022

Finally, at a meeting in Zambia, where giraffes and zebras wandered the grounds of the hotel, the board members approved eight projects worth a total of $168 million. —Washington Post, 10 Aug. 2021

In that case, there are plenty of Memorial Day furniture sales worth a browse. —Ariel Scotti, Forbes, 28 May 2021

Pompeo also reported receiving two carpets worth a total of $19,400 from the president of Kazakhstan and the foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates. —Matthew Lee, USA TODAY, 21 Apr. 2021

Adjective

With inspirational commercials and a hugely popular sneaker collaboration, the global apparel brand has managed to leverage Black talent for billions worth of business gains. —Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2024

Keep reading for more lightweight and compact yet spacious bags worth grabbing starting at just $10. —Lauren Fischer, Travel + Leisure, 29 Apr. 2024

The lone midday draw winner, a ticket with 9, 11, 27, 29 and 35, was worth $53,746 and sold at the Valero gas station at 11600 Wiles Rd. in Coral Springs. —David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 29 Apr. 2024

Advertisement Still, in the spirit of the season of championship competition, here are eight real estate wars worth watching. —Jonathan Lansner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Apr. 2024

And the only thing worth living for, actually, is love. —Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 27 Apr. 2024

Keep scrolling for more answers to all of your Wayfair Way Day sale questions, along with other deals worth browsing ahead of time. —Ali Faccenda, Peoplemag, 26 Apr. 2024

For seasoned cooks and kitchen novices, cookbook author and nutritionist Robin Miller takes it back to basics with great, family-friendly recipes worth making over and over again. —Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 26 Apr. 2024

Trump is still sitting on a paper holding worth more than $2 billion, but his outside investors, many of whom are small investors who bought at or near the top, have been been taken to the abattoir. —Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2024

Verb

The responses from 1,300 players across the league present an unusually revealing look inside how franchises worth billions of dollars are still rankled by problems—with vast gaps in quality from team to team. —Andrew Beaton, WSJ, 2 Mar. 2023

Is the Simplehuman trash can worth it? —Carolyn Forté, Good Housekeeping, 26 May 2022

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, going back to Old English weorþ, wyrth (strong neuter noun), going back to Germanic *werþa- (whence also Old Frisian werth, worth "value," Old Saxon werth "payment, price," Old High German werd "value, price," Old Icelandic verð, Gothic wairþ "price"), noun derivative from *werþa-, adjective, "of value" — more at worth entry 3

Preposition

Middle English, from worth worth entry 3

Adjective

Middle English, "having monetary value, valuable, having status, deserving, highborn, efficacious, strong," going back to Old English weorþ, wyrþ, worþ "having monetary value, valuable," going back to Germanic *werþa- (whence also Old Frisian werth "of value," Old Saxon werth "of value, worthy, dear," Old High German werd, wert "of value, valuable," Old Icelandic verðr "of value, worthy," Gothic wairþs "deserving"), of uncertain origin

Note: The Middle English adjective continues in part Old English wierðe, wyrðe "worthy, deserving," a ja-stem adjective from the same base. Welsh gwerth "worth, value, price" (whence gwerthu "to sell"), along with Middle Breton guerz, is perhaps an early loan from Old English.

Verb

Middle English worthen "to exist, be, come into existence, become, change, happen," going back to Old English weorþan, wurþan (class III strong verb) "to become, come to be, happen," going back to Germanic *werþan- (whence also Old Frisian wertha "to become, happen, arise," Old Saxon werthan, Old High German werdan, Old Icelandic verða, Gothic wairþan "to become"), going back to an Indo-European verbal base *u̯ert- "turn," whence also Latin vertō, vertere "to cause to revolve, turn, spin," vertor "(I) change direction, turn," Lithuanian verčiù, ver͂sti "to cause to turn," Sanskrit vártate "(it) turns, rolls, revolves"; with zero-grade ablaut Old Church Slavic vrǔštǫ, vrǔteti sę "to turn oneself"; with a causative stem *u̯ort- Old Church Slavic vraštǫ, vratiti "to make turn," Sanskrit vartáyati "(s/he) makes turn"; from an n-present Old Church Slavic obvrǔnǫti sę "to turn around," Tocharian B wärnāmane "turning"

Note: In Germanic the Indo-European base *u̯ert- "turn" developed the figurative sense "become, happen" (compare, in English, "the milk turned sour"), which has largely displaced the literal senses (but compare the suffix *-wearda- -ward entry 1).

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Preposition

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing worth

• a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
• an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
• a picture is worth a thousand words
• comparable worth
• for all one is worth
• for all someone is worth
• for what it's worth
• get his money's worth
• make it worth your while
• not worth a damn
• not worth a darn
• not worth the candle
• not worth the paper it's written/printed on
• personal worth
• self-worth
• sense of self-worth
• someone's money's worth
• take something for what it's worth
• two cents' worth
• worth a go
• worth a tinker's damn
• worth every penny
• worth one's salt
• worth one's weight in gold
• worth someone's while

Kids Definition

worth

1 of 2 preposition

ˈwərth 

1

a

: equal in value to

the vase is worth $200

b

: having possessions or income equal to

an actress worth millions

2

: deserving of

well worth the effort

3

: capable of

ran for all I was worth

worth

2 of 2 noun

1

a

: value in terms of money

furniture of little worth

b

: the equivalent of a certain amount or figure

five dollars worth of gas

2

: the value of something measured by its qualities

an experience of great worth

3

: excellence sense 1