1
2
a
: 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
3
a
: 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
4
a
: something heavy : load
b
: a heavy object to hold or press something down or to counterbalance
5
b
: the quality or state of being ponderous
c
6
a
: 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
7
a
: 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
weighted; weighting; weights
1
: to oppress with a burden
weighted down with cares
2
a
: to load or make heavy with or as if with a weight
b
: to increase in heaviness by adding an ingredient
3
a
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
A. S. Link6
: to shift the burden of weight upon
weight the inside ski
Synonyms
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
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Recent Examples on the WebJenny McCoy, SELF, 5 Dec. 2023
The small Alpine nation punches above its weight on the international film scene, in large part due to its positioning as an ideal co-production partner, with a skilled, multi-lingual workforce, top-end post-production facilities and competitive state support and tax incentives.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Dec. 2023
Jam also changed up his diet to help maintain his weight.
—Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 5 Dec. 2023
Stipe insisted on going on long walks every night to take off his extra weight.
—Jon Mooallem, New York Times, 3 Dec. 2023
Biden threw his weight behind their cause, making personal appeals to Stellantis and even joining a UAW picket line.
—Jeanne Whalen, Washington Post, 3 Dec. 2023
Things got worse Friday when the company said a trial of a twice-a-day weight loss pill showed too many side effects.
—Wsj Staff, WSJ, 1 Dec. 2023
Ultimately, for excessive farting, farting with symptoms like weight loss, or general concerns about gas, see a healthcare provider.
—Claire Gillespie, Health, 1 Dec. 2023
Shaquille O'Neal says his recent weight loss was inspired by a trip down memory lane.
—Nicholas Rice, Peoplemag, 22 Nov. 2023
Nathaniel Rakich, ABC News, 20 Nov. 2023
At the same time, if AI's criteria and weighting become public, there's a risk that applicants will try to game the system.
—Dr. Aviva Legatt, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023
The steering is quick and well weighted, with a squircle wheel that’s enjoyable to handle.
—Steven Ewing, Ars Technica, 6 Nov. 2023
The other two licenses will be awarded on the basis of a lottery, but weighted with priority for local and experienced applicants.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Nov. 2023
Given that the average Atlantic sail will weight 50 to 80 pounds, they can be fought on lighter spinning rods instead of the cumbersome tackle often employed by marlin anglers.
—Joe Cermele, Field & Stream, 9 Nov. 2023
Results were weighted for age, region, race/ethnicity, and education where necessary to align with actual proportions in the population.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 8 Nov. 2023
The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, and education based on the U.S. Census American Community Survey and Current Population Survey, as well as past vote.
—Jennifer De Pinto, CBS News, 7 Nov. 2023
When weighted for population distribution, the death rate for Latinos rose to 33.3%.
—Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2023
See More
Noun
Slowly bend your elbows to lower the weight back down to the starting position.
—Jenny McCoy, SELF, 5 Dec. 2023
The small Alpine nation punches above its weight on the international film scene, in large part due to its positioning as an ideal co-production partner, with a skilled, multi-lingual workforce, top-end post-production facilities and competitive state support and tax incentives.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Dec. 2023
Jam also changed up his diet to help maintain his weight.
—Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 5 Dec. 2023
Stipe insisted on going on long walks every night to take off his extra weight.
—Jon Mooallem, New York Times, 3 Dec. 2023
Biden threw his weight behind their cause, making personal appeals to Stellantis and even joining a UAW picket line.
—Jeanne Whalen, Washington Post, 3 Dec. 2023
Things got worse Friday when the company said a trial of a twice-a-day weight loss pill showed too many side effects.
—Wsj Staff, WSJ, 1 Dec. 2023
Ultimately, for excessive farting, farting with symptoms like weight loss, or general concerns about gas, see a healthcare provider.
—Claire Gillespie, Health, 1 Dec. 2023
Shaquille O'Neal says his recent weight loss was inspired by a trip down memory lane.
—Nicholas Rice, Peoplemag, 22 Nov. 2023
Verb
Based on the average difference between how the district voted and how the country voted overall in the last two presidential elections, with the most recent presidential election weighted 75 percent and the second-most recent presidential election weighted 25 percent.
—Nathaniel Rakich, ABC News, 20 Nov. 2023
At the same time, if AI's criteria and weighting become public, there's a risk that applicants will try to game the system.
—Dr. Aviva Legatt, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023
The steering is quick and well weighted, with a squircle wheel that’s enjoyable to handle.
—Steven Ewing, Ars Technica, 6 Nov. 2023
The other two licenses will be awarded on the basis of a lottery, but weighted with priority for local and experienced applicants.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Nov. 2023
Given that the average Atlantic sail will weight 50 to 80 pounds, they can be fought on lighter spinning rods instead of the cumbersome tackle often employed by marlin anglers.
—Joe Cermele, Field & Stream, 9 Nov. 2023
Results were weighted for age, region, race/ethnicity, and education where necessary to align with actual proportions in the population.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 8 Nov. 2023
The sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, and education based on the U.S. Census American Community Survey and Current Population Survey, as well as past vote.
—Jennifer De Pinto, CBS News, 7 Nov. 2023
When weighted for population distribution, the death rate for Latinos rose to 33.3%.
—Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'weight.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English wight, weght, from Old English wiht; akin to Old Norse vætt weight, Old English wegan to weigh
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb
1647, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of weight was
before the 12th century
Phrases Containing weight
Dictionary Entries Near weight
Cite this Entry
“Weight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/weight. Accessed 11 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
weight
1 of 2 noun1
a
: the amount that something weighs
b
: the standard amount that something should weigh
fined for selling meat under weight
2
a
: a quantity or portion weighing usually a certain amount
equal weights of flour and butter
b
: a heavy object (as a metal ball) used in athletic exercises and contests
3
a
: a unit (as a pound or kilogram) of weight or mass see measure see metric system
b
: an object (as a piece of metal) of known weight for balancing a scale in weighing other objects
4
a
: something heavy : load
b
: a heavy object used to hold, press down, or balance something else
clock weights
5
: a mental or emotional burden
had a weight on my conscience
6
: the force with which a body is attracted toward the earth or a heavenly body by gravitation
7
a
: the importance given to something
opinions that carry weight
b
: the greater or more impressive part
the weight of the evidence is for a verdict of guilty
weight
2 of 2 verb1
: to load or make heavy with a weight
2
: to trouble with a burden
weighted down with cares
More from Merriam-Webster on weight
Nglish: Translation of weight for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of weight for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about weight
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