weigh1
/weɪ
/verb [with object]
1Find out how heavy (someone or something) is, typically using scales: weigh yourself on the day you begin the diet the vendor weighed the vegetables...
- The buckets were then weighed and the heaviest amount won.
- Many industries developed their own very specific scales designed to weigh particular items.
- Michael, who was so large his GP's scales could not weigh him, has lost almost 20 inches from his waist - and he's still shrinking.
Synonyms
measure the weight of, measure how heavy someone/something is, put someone/something on the scales
1.1Have a specified weight: when the twins were born they weighed ten pounds...
- Olivia was born weighing a healthy 5lb 12 oz.
- Luke is born prematurely weighing only one pound and four ounces.
- The calf weighed a healthy 30 pounds and was 3 feet long.
Synonyms
tip/turn the scales at, come to
1.2Balance in the hands to guess or as if to guess the weight of: she picked up the brick and weighed it in her right hand...
- Pulling out a rather large bag of gold pieces, he held it out, weighing it out in his hand.
1.3 (weigh something out) Measure and take from a larger quantity of a substance a portion of a particular weight: she weighed out two ounces of loose tobacco...
- Flour, sugar, rice and other dry goods and plain biscuits were weighed out into brown paper bags.
2Assess the nature or importance of, especially with a view to a decision or action: the consequences of the move would need to be very carefully weighed...
- Every act must be carefully weighed before a decision is made to see whether it meets the strict ethical criteria.
- The positive and negative aspects need to be weighed and then a decision is to be taken.
- The selection of a particular value for a benefit-cost or net benefit analysis must be carefully weighed against the objectives of the analysis.
Synonyms
consider, contemplate, think about, give thought to, entertain the idea of, deliberate about, turn over in one's mind, mull over, chew over, reflect on, ruminate about, muse on;
assess, appraise, analyse, investigate, enquire into, look into, make enquiries into, examine, scrutinize, research, review, explore, probe, study, survey, inspect, take stock of;
North American think on
2.1 (weigh something against) Compare the importance of one factor with that of (another): they need to weigh benefit against risk...
- Because they are stupid, they do not know how to weigh benefits against risk?
- Instead, the writer forces us to hold these two characteristics in our mind at the same time. We have to balance them, weigh them against each other, compare and contrast them.
- Should patients have a choice to base their decision on whether or not to take a drug by weighing the risks against the benefits?
Synonyms
balance;
compare with, evaluate, juxtapose with, place side by side (with), contrast with
2.2 [no object] Influence a decision or action; be considered important: arguments which weighed in favour of publication the evidence weighed against him...
- The evidence of human history weighs heavily against it.
- The epidemiological evidence weighs heavily against such a link.
- Street lighting was discussed but the unsuitability in a rural area and the question of cost weighed against any benefit.
Synonyms
influence, have influence with, be influential to, carry weight with, count with, tell with, matter to, be important to, be significant to, mean something to, make an impression on, get to, register with
Phrases
weigh anchor
weigh one's words
Phrasal verbs
weigh someone down
weigh in
weigh in at
weigh into
weigh on
weigh out
weigh someone/thing up
Derivatives
weighable
- The majority were weighable on each visit by using electronic balances.
- Weighable amounts of astatine have never been isolated, and little is known about its chemical or physical properties.
- To obtain a weighable mass a dedicated set-up for the low energy beam transport of heavy ions is needed.
weigher
- I took my cat, Ruby Tuesday, a nice tabby cat, and I weighed her with an old spring weigher.
- The truth of the matter's that the poet is an assessor and weigher of the state; he's not necessarily against it.
Origin
Old English wegan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch wegen 'weigh', German bewegen 'move', from an Indo-European root shared by Latin vehere 'convey'. Early senses included 'transport from one place to another' and 'raise up'.
The word weigh can be traced back to an ancient root that also gave us Latin vehere ‘to carry’, the source of vehicle. Early senses of weigh that are no longer used included ‘to transport from one place to another’ and ‘to raise up’, still in weigh the anchor of a boat or ship. The modern meaning probably comes from the idea of lifting something up on a pair of scales or similar device to weigh it. Weight is not directly related, but Old English gewiht was re-formed under the influence of weigh.
Rhymes
weigh2
/weɪ/noun (in phrase under weigh) Nautical
Another way of saying under way.He could see Captain Mason supervising his crew, and once under weigh, saw him wave and salute....
- At 10 a.m. got under weigh and turned out of Port Chalky At 4 p.m. came to an anchor in Preservation Bay.
- A ship is under weigh when she has weighed her anchor… As soon as she gathers way she is under way.
Origin
Late 18th century: from an erroneous association with weigh anchor (see anchor).