Adjacent Words

Weigh definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

WEIGH, v.t. wa. [L., G. See Wag.]
1. To examine by the balance; to ascertain the weight, that is, the force with which a thing tends to the center of gravity; as, to weigh sugar; to weigh gold.
2. To be equivalent to in weight; that is, according to the Saxon sense of the verb, to lift to an equipoise a weight on the other side of the fulcrum. Thus when a body balances a weight of twenty eight pounds avoirdupois, it lifts or bears it, and is said to weigh so much. It weighs a quarter of a hundred.
3. To raise; to lift; as an anchor from the ground, or any other body; as, to weigh anchor; to weigh an old hulk.
4. To pay, allot or take by weight.
They weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. Zechariah 11.
5. To ponder in the mind; to consider or examine for the purpose of forming an opinion or coming to a conclusion; as, to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of a scheme.
Regard not who it is which speaketh, but weigh only what is spoken.
6. To compare by the scales.
Here in nice balance truth with gold she weighs.
7. To regard; to consider as worthy of notice.
I weigh not you.
To weigh down,
1. To overbalance.
2. To oppress with weight; to depress.
WEIGH, v.i.
1. To have weight; as, to weigh lighter or heavier.
2. To be considered as important; to have weight in the intellectual balance. This argument weighs with the considerate part of the community.
3. To bear heavily; to press hard.
--Cleanse the stuffd bosom of that perilous stuff, which weighs upon the heart.
To weigh down, to sink by its own weight.
WEIGH, n. A certain quantity. A weigh of wool, cheese, etc., is 256 lb. Avoirdupois; a weigh of corn is forty bushels; of barly or malt, six quarters.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: have a certain weight
2: show consideration for; take into account; "You must consider her age"; "The judge considered the offender's youth and was lenient" [syn: consider, count, weigh]
3: determine the weight of; "The butcher weighed the chicken" [syn: weigh, librate]
4: have weight; have import, carry weight; "It does not matter much" [syn: count, matter, weigh]
5: to be oppressive or burdensome; "weigh heavily on the mind", "Something pressed on his mind" [syn: weigh, press]

Merriam Webster's

I. verb Etymology: Middle English weyen, from Old English wegan to move, carry, weigh — more at way Date: before 12th century transitive verb 1. to ascertain the heaviness of by or as if by a balance 2. a. outweigh b. counterbalance c. to make heavy ; weight — often used with down 3. to consider carefully especially by balancing opposing factors or aspects in order to reach a choice or conclusion ; evaluate <weighing her options> 4. to heave up (an anchor) preparatory to sailing 5. to measure or apportion (a definite quantity) on or as if on a scales intransitive verb 1. a. to have a certain heaviness ; experience a specific force due to gravity b. to register a weight (as on a scales) — used with in or out; compare weigh in 2. to merit consideration as important ; count <evidence will weigh heavily against him> 3. a. to press down with or as if with a heavy weight b. to have a saddening or disheartening effect <guilt weighed on my mind> 4. to weigh anchor Synonyms: see consider • weighable adjective • weigher noun II. noun Etymology: alteration of way Date: 1777 way — used in the phrase under weigh

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. v. 1 tr. find the weight of. 2 tr. balance in the hands to guess or as if to guess the weight of. 3 tr. (often foll. by out) a take a definite weight of; take a specified weight from a larger quantity. b distribute in exact amounts by weight. 4 tr. a estimate the relative value, importance, or desirability of; consider with a view to choice, rejection, or preference (weighed the consequences; weighed the merits of the candidates). b (foll. by with, against) compare (one consideration with another). 5 tr. be equal to (a specified weight) (weighs three kilos; weighs very little). 6 intr. a have (esp. a specified) importance; exert an influence. b (foll. by with) be regarded as important by (the point that weighs with me). 7 intr. (often foll. by on) be heavy or burdensome (to); be depressing (to). Phrases and idioms: weigh anchor see ANCHOR. weigh down 1 bring or keep down by exerting weight. 2 be oppressive or burdensome to (weighed down with worries). weigh in (of a boxer before a contest, or a jockey after a race) be weighed. weigh-in n. the weighing of a boxer before a fight. weighing-machine a machine for weighing persons or large weights. weigh into colloq. attack (physically or verbally). weigh in with colloq. advance (an argument etc.) assertively or boldly. weigh out (of a jockey) be weighed before a race. weigh up colloq. form an estimate of; consider carefully. weigh one's words carefully choose the way one expresses something. Derivatives: weighable adj. weigher n. Etymology: OE wegan f. Gmc, rel. to WAY 2. n. Phrases and idioms: under weigh disp. = under way. Etymology: 18th c.: from an erron. assoc. with weigh anchor

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Weigh Weigh, n. [See Wey.] A certain quantity estimated by weight; an English measure of weight. See Wey.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Weigh Weigh (w[=a]), n. (Naut.) A corruption of Way, used only in the phrase under weigh. An expedition was got under weigh from New York. --Thackeray. The Athenians . . . hurried on board and with considerable difficulty got under weigh. --Jowett (Thucyd.).

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Weigh Weigh, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Weighed; p. pr. & vb. n. Weighing.] [OE. weien, weyen, weghen, AS. wegan to bear, move; akin to D. wegen to weigh, G. w["a]gen, wiegen, to weigh, bewegen to move, OHG. wegan, Icel. vega to move, carry, lift, weigh, Sw. v["a]ga to weigh, Dan. veie, Goth. gawigan to shake, L. vehere to carry, Skr. vah. ????. See Way, and cf. Wey.] 1. To bear up; to raise; to lift into the air; to swing up; as, to weigh anchor. ``Weigh the vessel up.'' --Cowper. 2. To examine by the balance; to ascertain the weight of, that is, the force with which a thing tends to the center of the earth; to determine the heaviness, or quantity of matter of; as, to weigh sugar; to weigh gold. Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. --Dan. v. 27. 3. To be equivalent to in weight; to counterbalance; to have the heaviness of. ``A body weighing divers ounces.'' --Boyle. 4. To pay, allot, take, or give by weight. They weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. --Zech. xi. 12. 5. To examine or test as if by the balance; to ponder in the mind; to consider or examine for the purpose of forming an opinion or coming to a conclusion; to estimate deliberately and maturely; to balance. A young man not weighed in state affairs. --Bacon. Had no better weighed The strength he was to cope with, or his own. --Milton. Regard not who it is which speaketh, but weigh only what is spoken. --Hooker. In nice balance, truth with gold she weighs. --Pope. Without sufficiently weighing his expressions. --Sir W. Scott. 6. To consider as worthy of notice; to regard. [Obs. or Archaic] ``I weigh not you.'' --Shak. All that she so dear did weigh. --Spenser. To weigh down. (a) To overbalance. (b) To oppress with weight; to overburden; to depress. ``To weigh thy spirits down.'' --Milton.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Weigh Weigh, v. i. 1. To have weight; to be heavy. ``They only weigh the heavier.'' --Cowper. 2. To be considered as important; to have weight in the intellectual balance. Your vows to her and me . . . will even weigh. --Shak. This objection ought to weigh with those whose reading is designed for much talk and little knowledge. --Locke. 3. To bear heavily; to press hard. Cleanse the stuffed bosom of that perilous stuff Which weighs upon the heart. --Shak. 4. To judge; to estimate. [R.] Could not weigh of worthiness aright. --Spenser. To weigh down, to sink by its own weight.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(weighs, weighing, weighed) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. If someone or something weighs a particular amount, this amount is how heavy they are. It weighs nearly 27 kilos (about 65 pounds)... VERB: no cont, V amount 2. If you weigh something or someone, you measure how heavy they are. The scales can be used to weigh other items such as parcels. VERB: V n 3. If you weigh the facts about a situation, you consider them very carefully before you make a decision, especially by comparing the various facts involved. He is weighing the possibility of filing criminal charges against the doctor... She spoke very slowly, weighing what she would say. = consider VERB: V n, V wh • Weigh up means the same as weigh. (mainly BRIT) The company will be able to weigh up the environmental pros and cons of each site... You have to weigh up whether a human life is more important than an animal's life. PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron), V P wh, also V n P

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Bear up, raise, swing up, lift so that it hangs in the air. 2. Try in the balance, find the weight of, determine the heaviness of. 3. Counterbalance, be equivalent to in weight, have the heaviness of. 4. Pay, allot, take by weight. 5. Examine, ponder, balance in the mind, meditate upon, estimate deliberately, balance. 6. Regard, esteem as worthy of notice. II. v. n. 1. Gravitate, be heavy. 2. Bear, press, bear heavily, press hard.

Moby Thesaurus

amount to something, analogize, appraise, appreciate, assay, assess, assimilate, balance, be abstracted, be featured, be heavy, be influential, be persuasive, be prominent, be somebody, be something, bring into analogy, bring into comparison, brood, calculate, calibrate, caliper, carry, carry weight, catalog, categorize, charge, check a parameter, chew the cud, class, classify, compare, compare and contrast, compare with, compute, confront, consider, contemplate, contrast, count, counterbalance, counterpose, cumber, cut ice, cut some ice, debate, deliberate, dial, digest, divide, draw a comparison, draw a parallel, encumber, estimate, evaluate, excogitate, factor, fathom, gauge, get top billing, graduate, group, have an in, have full play, have influence, have personality, have pull, have weight, heft, hold the scales, identify, import, introspect, lade, lie heavy, liken, liken to, load, lumber, match, matter, measure, measure against, meditate, mensurate, metaphorize, mete, meter, militate, mind, muse, oppose, pace, parallel, perpend, place against, play around with, play with, plumb, ponder, prize, probe, quantify, quantize, rate, reflect, register, relate, ruminate, run a comparison, saddle, set in contrast, set in opposition, set off against, set over against, sift, signify, similize, size, size up, sort, sort out, sound, span, speculate, stand out, star, step, strike a balance, study, survey, take a reading, tax, tell, think over, thrash out, tip the scales, toy with, triangulate, valuate, value, view together, weigh against, weigh heavy, weigh in, weigh out, weight, winnow