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

The joey has now started to put on weight and was released to a specialist wildlife carer after gaining the requisite strength. — Fox News, "Adorable orphaned baby koala gets arm cast after falling from tree," 9 Aug. 2019 And there are, FitzGerald observes, additional counter-weights that pull states back from the extremities of offshore bordering. — Paul A. Kramer, The New Republic, "The Harsh World of Offshore Borders," 8 Aug. 2019 Those close to Khalil say the cover created a weight that rested heavily on his 215-pound frame. — Ross Dellenger, SI.com, "With the Injuries (and the Hype) Behind Him, Khalil Tate Resolves to Write a New Chapter," 8 Aug. 2019 Goldman looks really good in the middle of the defense, and weight has not been an issue for him for more than two years. — Brad Biggs, chicagotribune.com, "Bears Q&A: Is the defense making growth difficult for Mitch Trubisky? How has David Montgomery looked? Plus lots of tight end questions," 7 Aug. 2019 Count on treadmills, weight stations, and yoga classes that are as busy as your neighborhood gym. — Janice Wald Henderson, Condé Nast Traveler, "Around-the-World Cruises Are Much Less Complicated Than You Think," 7 Aug. 2019 And help with weight management Recent research shows that bioactive compounds in peaches have anti-inflammatory and anti-obesity properties. — Cynthia Sass, Mph, Health.com, "8 Health Benefits of Peaches," 7 Aug. 2019 The creature’s weight clocked in at around 15 pounds, more than double that of the chunky kākāpō. — Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, "This Chonky Ancient Bird Is the World’s Largest Known Parrot," 7 Aug. 2019 Does your metabolism prevent you from maintaining a healthy weight? — Get-fit Guy Brock Armstrong, Scientific American, "What Is Metabolic Profiling, and Can It Help You?," 7 Aug. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The Nasdaq composite, which is heavily weighted with technology stocks, vaulted 176.33 points, or 2.2%, to 8,039.16. — Los Angeles Times, "Stocks soar as investors push through anxiety about U.S.-China trade war," 8 Aug. 2019 First, the variables have been captured, and then broken down into their constituent parts and weighted. — Cassie Werber, Quartz at Work, "Solve your next big problem at work or home with the help of a logic tree," 7 Aug. 2019 With a spot-on ball weighted just past his defender, Akindele took one touch and fired the shot home to give Orlando City a 1-0 lead. — Julia Poe, Pro Soccer USA, "Orlando City attack roars, Lions net 2-0 home win over FC Dallas," 5 Aug. 2019 With 369 foot-pounds of torque from 1,370-4,500 rpm, Audi achieved the same 0-60 mph acceleration in 5.2 seconds with the seven-speed, despite the new model weighting 88 pounds more. — Mark Maynard, San Diego Union-Tribune, "2019 Audi A7 Sportback: a continental grand tourer," 26 July 2019 Some index funds are equal-weighted, meaning each stock in the fund exerts the same impact on performance. — Russ Wiles, azcentral, "Your portfolio is probably heavy on index funds. Now may be the time to make changes," 21 July 2019 The sample includes 7,885 self-identiﬁed Democrats and Democratic-leaning Independents, many of whom were previously interviewed online in a CBS News/YouGov survey fielded between April 25 and May 6, 2019 and weighted the same way. — Kabir Khanna, CBS News, "Analysis: How liberal are Democratic voters?," 17 July 2019 Metacritic scores are then averaged and weighted, based on a critic’s or publication’s reputation. — Adam Epstein, Quartzy, "HBO is known for its great miniseries. Is “Chernobyl” its greatest?," 5 June 2019 Symptoms include trouble breathing and in some cases weight loss from vomiting and diarrhea. — Raquel Rutledge, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Eight Milwaukee-area teens hospitalized with severe lung damage that may have been caused by vaping," 25 July 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.