weight

noun

\ 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 & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about weight

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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. Her weight is 105 pounds. 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

This isn't the first time Kelly has opened up about her weight. — Taysha Murtaugh, Country Living, "Kelly Clarkson Just Got Real About Her Holiday Weight Gain," 2 Jan. 2019 Behind the scenes, Shell lent its weight to a carbon tax proposal too. — Umair Irfan, Vox, "Climate and energy news in 2018 actually wasn’t all bad," 1 Jan. 2019 In addition, front-wheel cars carry most of their weight on the front end. — Ezra Dyer, Popular Mechanics, "How to Rotate Your Tires," 13 Dec. 2018 London also feels that a super-restrictive plan like keto sets you up for failure since one innocent mom’s night out will result in immediate weight gain. — Amy Capetta, Good Housekeeping, "Keto vs. Atkins: Here's What RDs Say About Picking the Right Diet for You," 10 Dec. 2018 President Carter, an environmental champion who famously put solar panels on the White House roof, initially didn’t put his weight behind transit, only coming around to increased investment later in his term. — Patrick Sisson, Curbed, "Public transit’s missed opportunity," 20 Nov. 2018 For a city that spans just seven square miles, San Francisco punches well above its weight. — Condé Nast Traveler, "Women Who Travel Meetup: San Francisco, Here We Come," 2 Nov. 2018 While an underactive thyroid can cause weight gain, an overactive one (which is diagnosed as hyperthyroidism) increases your metabolism, which can in turn cause increased hunger, Gilwit says. — Colleen Stinchcombe, Woman's Day, "Why Am I Always Hungry?," 19 Oct. 2018 Anxiety, depression, irritability, hunger, weight gain — all of those are symptoms of nicotine withdrawal, which are unpleasant. — Rachel Becker, The Verge, "Is nicotine actually bad for you?," 10 Aug. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Pelosi lives in San Francisco but rarely weights into state legislative issues. — Washington Post, "California lawmaker attacked over net neutrality decision," 24 June 2018 Inside them are weighted lap pads, chair bands, desk bands, sensory seating cushions, visual timers, stress ball fidgets, squidget fidgets, desk buddies, and anywhere chairs. — Michael Walsh, Courant Community, "Pine Grove School Receives Grant For Sensory Toolboxes," 2 July 2018 Lauren Callahan, spokeswoman for the Texas Education Agency, said growth was previously a factor but weighted differently. — Sally Ho, The Seattle Times, "Despite hurricane, at-risk Houston students made gains," 1 Oct. 2018 The debt burden was calculated by weighting average debt against average income. — Lynn Brezosky, San Antonio Express-News, "San Antonians know how to charge it with nation’s highest average credit card debt burden," 7 Feb. 2018 George had the lover thrown into a river, weighted with stones, and imprisoned Sophia Dorothea for 30 years. — Nancy Bilyeau, Town & Country, "The True Story of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert's Love Affair," 11 Jan. 2017 Data have been weighted for age, race, education, and geography using the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey to reflect the demographic composition of the UnitedStates age 18 and over. — Colleen Leahey Mckeegan, Marie Claire, "Marie Claire's Guide to Having a Baby," 1 Oct. 2018 And weighted squats with a kettlebell in the rack position—which means resting the weight in front of your body at shoulder-level versus holding it down at your side—can be an even greater challenge. — Jenny Mccoy, SELF, "Take Your Kettlebell Squats to the Next Level With This Small Tweak From Blake Lively’s Trainer," 6 Sep. 2018 His header was however, woefully mis-weighted and bounced directly into the path of Higuain who was clear through on goal. — SI.com, "World Cup Countdown: Gonzalo Higuain Must Deliver For Argentina After 2014 Final Flop," 14 June 2018

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.