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. 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

Some will dump their packs at a campsite, rig them in a bear-proof hang in a tree, then climb Baldy Peak and return without the burden of carrying the extra weight. — Tom Stienstra, SFChronicle.com, "Finding solitude on one of California’s prettiest trails," 10 July 2019 Stu in turn assaults Vic with sporting equipment and accuses him of neglecting his sensitive artist daughter (Natalie Morales), which would admittedly carry more weight if the movie didn’t treat her with the same disregard. — Justin Chang, latimes.com, "Review: 'Stuber' is a sloppy action-comedy that never surges to life," 9 July 2019 To that end of things, the art and importance of blocking will carry extra weight on the Cardinals’ receivers and tight ends this year. — Bob Mcmanaman, azcentral, "Arizona Cardinals scouting report: Wide receivers and tight ends," 8 July 2019 But those recommendations don’t carry the weight of enforcement. — Larry Buhl, The New Republic, "The Toxic-Gas Catastrophe Hiding Beneath Your Home," 8 July 2019 But now, a new design aims to rise above the others with its use of hydrogen fuel cells instead of batteries to power longer flights that can carry more weight. — Tom Metcalfe, NBC News, "Electric air taxis powered by hydrogen promise greater range for intercity commutes," 7 July 2019 Sunday's Copa America final between Brazil and Peru is a contest replete with history, one that carries the weight of two veteran managers looking to turn their respective players into champions for the first time in their tenures. — Luis Miguel Echegaray, SI.com, "Brazil Already Thrashed Peru Once; Will Copa America Final Be Any Different?," 5 July 2019 As the living, wheezing Ailes, Crowe carries the weight in different styles, to vary the mood. — Troy Patterson, The New Yorker, "“The Loudest Voice” Eviscerates Roger Ailes and Fox News," 30 June 2019 Murray’s actions carry weight in this case because IPS is raising contributory negligence as a defense. — Crystal Hill, Indianapolis Star, "A 16-year-old was fatally shot near his Indianapolis high school. Is the school liable?," 26 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

There is some criticism dramaturgically, that the power is weighted toward the male character. — Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, "Norbert Leo Butz once missed a performance of The Last Five Years because he was arrested," 3 July 2019 Last year’s Houston squad was a juggernaut, leading the league in runs, all three slash stats, OPS, OPS+, weighted on-base average, and wRC+, and finishing second in home runs all while posting the lowest strikeout rate in baseball. — Jon Tayler, SI.com, "The Houston Astros Are Only Getting Better," 19 June 2018 In truth, there's little genuinely new about the X3S. People have been weighting their feet and standing up out of sit-ups for ages. — Zachary Lewis, cleveland.com, "New X3S Bench triples the intensity of the classic sit-up: Stretching Out," 21 Mar. 2018 Thankfully, downshifting is a joy, as the shift action is accurate and nicely weighted. — Mike Duff, Car and Driver, "2018 Hyundai i30 N," 6 Feb. 2018 Ballots are counted, then weighted, and from there the starters are picked. — USA TODAY, "Not-household-name players get All-Star votes from NBA peers," 19 Jan. 2018 The four factors are weighted equally, and the scale is from 0 to 158.3. — Jeff Maillet, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Packers QBs Bart Starr and Aaron Rodgers are NFL passer-rating standouts in postseason," 15 Jan. 2018 Responses were weighted to match the demographic profile of the population of the United States. — Ben Casselman, New York Times, "Trump’s Case for China Tariffs Fails to Persuade Americans," 28 June 2019 For instance, an out-of-district student from a different educational system would be weighted higher by the OHSAA. — Scott Springer, Cincinnati.com, "How OHSAA divisional, football regional assignments affect Greater Cincinnati sports," 13 June 2019

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.