weight

noun

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\ ˈwāt

Definition of weight

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : the amount that a thing weighs

b(1) : the standard or established amount that a thing should weigh

(2) : one of the classes into which contestants in a sports event are divided according to body weight

(3) : poundage required to be carried by a horse in a handicap race

2a : a quantity or thing weighing a fixed and usually specified amount

b : a heavy object (such as a metal ball) thrown, put, or lifted as an athletic exercise or contest

3a : a unit of weight or mass — see Metric System Table

b : a piece of material (such as metal) of known specified weight for use in weighing articles

c : a system of related units of weight

4a : something heavy : load

b : a heavy object to hold or press something down or to counterbalance

5a : burden, pressure the weight of their responsibilities

b : the quality or state of being ponderous

c : corpulence

6a : relative heaviness : mass

b : the force with which a body is attracted toward the earth or a celestial body by gravitation and which is equal to the product of the mass and the local gravitational acceleration

7a : the relative importance or authority accorded something the weight of her opinions

b : measurable influence especially on others throwing his weight behind the proposal

8 : overpowering force

9 : the quality (such as lightness) that makes a fabric or garment suitable for a particular use or season —often used in combination summer-weight

10 : a numerical coefficient assigned to an item to express its relative importance in a frequency distribution

11 : the degree of thickness of the strokes of a type character

weight

verb

weighted; weighting; weights

Definition of weight (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to oppress with a burden weighted down with cares

2a : to load or make heavy with or as if with a weight

b : to increase in heaviness by adding an ingredient

3a : weigh sense 1

b : to feel the weight of : heft

4 : to assign a statistical weight to

5 : to cause to incline in a particular direction by manipulation the tax structure … which was weighted so heavily in favor of the upper classes— A. S. Link

6 : to shift the burden of weight upon weight the inside ski

Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about weight

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Synonyms for weight

Synonyms: Noun

Choose the Right Synonym for weight

Noun

importance, consequence, moment, weight, significance mean a quality or aspect having great worth or significance. importance implies a value judgment of the superior worth or influence of something or someone. a region with no cities of importance consequence generally implies importance because of probable or possible effects. the style you choose is of little consequence moment implies conspicuous or self-evident consequence. a decision of great moment weight implies a judgment of the immediate relative importance of something. the argument carried no weight with the judge significance implies a quality or character that should mark a thing as important but that is not self-evident and may or may not be recognized. the treaty's significance

influence, authority, prestige, weight, credit mean power exerted over the minds or behavior of others. influence may apply to a force exercised and received consciously or unconsciously. used her influence to get the bill passed authority implies the power of winning devotion or allegiance or of compelling acceptance and belief. his opinions lacked authority prestige implies the ascendancy given by conspicuous excellence or reputation for superiority. the prestige of the newspaper weight implies measurable or decisive influence in determining acts or choices. their wishes obviously carried much weight credit suggests influence that arises from the confidence of others. his credit with the press

Examples of weight in a Sentence

Noun Please indicate your height and weight on the form. The boat sank under the weight of the cargo. Those columns have to be strong enough to support the weight of the roof. He stays in good shape by lifting weights. I use pie weights to keep the pie crust from bubbling when I bake it. Verb I weighted the fishing line with a lead sinker. weighted the car with a ton of furniture and then headed off for college

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Tech giants have thrown their weight behind universal basic income as automation has led to the loss of jobs, testing the idea in Stockton, a suburban city neighboring Silicon Valley and the more conservative, rural counties to the east. — Washington Post, "A city gave people $500 a month, no strings attached, to fight poverty. It paid off, study says.," 4 Mar. 2021 Even its weight was field-tested to see what people in the industry liked using best (56–59 grams, FYI). — Chris Morocco, Bon Appétit, "This Is the Best Spoon, According to Our Spoon Expert," 4 Mar. 2021 Becton reported to training camp as a rookie at 370 pounds and his weight fluctuated during the season. — J.p. Pelzman, Forbes, "New York Jets’ Release Of Henry Anderson A Reminder Of The Type Of Mistake The New Regime Cannot Make," 3 Mar. 2021 This weekend, Stewart outlined a new workout plan and diet to help him lose weight and be better in the outfield on his reads and reactions on fly balls. — Jon Meoli, baltimoresun.com, "Orioles’ DJ Stewart starts spring pursuit of outfield job with homer against Phillies," 1 Mar. 2021 Trying to lose weight was a convenient way to distract myself from what was really going on. — Gabrielle Korn, refinery29.com, "How Could I Be A ‘Good Feminist’ & Have An Eating Disorder?," 27 Jan. 2021 He was told to lose weight and change his footwork. — Terry Pluto, cleveland, "What was the front office plan for 2020? What comes next? – Terry’s Talkin’ Browns," 24 Jan. 2021 And also that the best and most effective way to become healthier is to become smaller, to lose weight. — Carolyn Kylstra, SELF, "What Is ‘Healthy Eating,’ Anyway?," 18 Jan. 2021 Really, the best way to lose weight is also—conveniently—the best way to be healthy: eat a balanced diet full of whole, unprocessed foods. — Popular Science, "In 2021, as ever, the best diets are simple," 6 Jan. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Similar concerns prompted federal courts in Illinois and Kansas to weight mailings to ZIP codes that generate the most non-responses. — John Simerman, NOLA.com, "Federal court in New Orleans aiming to address shortage of Black jurors, but is it enough?," 23 Jan. 2021 The victory in December saw a gate-to-wire move from this outside post and weight a similar strategy is expected. — John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, "Horse racing newsletter: Life Is Good wins in perplexing style," 3 Jan. 2021 The others began to weight train, a practice with which few were familiar. — Gretchen Reynolds, Star Tribune, "Dumbbells are a smart choice for combatting anxiety," 20 Nov. 2020 The advent of the lithium-ion battery, the same platform used in power tools, has increased the power to weight ratio of these tools and improved their run time. — Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, "The Best Handheld Vacuums for Cleaning Up Your Home or Workshop," 13 Oct. 2020 Because the crucial detail could lie anywhere, waiting to be uncovered, Leiris tends not to weight his experiences differently. — Sasha Frere-jones, The New Yorker, "The Man Who Saw Through Himself," 9 Dec. 2020 Blubber is almost entirely solid animal fat, and a bowling ball-sized amount of it would still weigh about 7 pounds—the real bowling ball weight a child might use. — Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, "50 Years Ago Today, Oregon Blew Up a Dead Whale. With Dynamite. On Live TV.," 12 Nov. 2020 For others, the stress has led to emotional eating—and sometimes weight gain. — Quartz Staff, Quartz, "The pandemic is changing the way we eat," 29 Nov. 2020 One option is to create new screening questions about whether respondents trust other people and major institutions — and then weight less trustful respondents more heavily in a poll’s final results. — David Leonhardt, New York Times, "‘A Black Eye’: Why Political Polling Missed the Mark. Again.," 12 Nov. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'weight.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.