weight
wayt
Weight (noun) means How heavy someone or something is. Example: “Check the weight of your suitcase before you leave for the airport.”
noun
1
How heavy someone or something is.
"Check the weight of your suitcase before you leave for the airport."
"The doctor asked about his recent change in weight."
"The bridge is designed to bear enormous weight."
2
A heavy object, especially one used for exercise or to hold something down.
"She placed a heavy weight on the papers so the wind could not blow them away."
"I bought a set of weights so that I can train at home."
"He lifts weights three times a week at the gym."
verb
1
To give particular statistics or factors more importance than others.
"Teachers often weight the final exam more heavily than the weekly quizzes."
"The formula weights recent customer reviews more than older ones when it ranks the products."
"The survey results were weighted to reflect the national population."
How to use weight
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishHow heavy something is, a heavy object, or the relative importance given to something.
Common pairings
lose weight
gain weight
carry weight
weight training
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Word forms
- Third person singular
- weights
- Past tense
- weighted
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Check the _____ of your suitcase before you leave for the airport.
Etymology
From Old English wiht/ġewiht ("weight"), ultimately from a root meaning "to move or carry" — related to "weigh".
Synonyms
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Related words
Rhymes for weight
See all rhymes for weight →Frequently asked questions
What does “weight” mean?
The word “weight” means how heavy someone or something is. In plain terms, how heavy something is, a heavy object, or the relative importance given to something.
How do you pronounce “weight”?
“Weight” is pronounced wayt (/weɪt/ in IPA).
How do you use “weight” in a sentence?
Here is “weight” used in a sentence: “The doctor asked about his recent change in weight.”
What part of speech is “weight”?
Depending on how it is used, “weight” can be a noun and a verb.
Where does the word “weight” come from?
The word “weight” comes from Old English. From Old English wiht/ġewiht ("weight"), ultimately from a root meaning "to move or carry" — related to "weigh".
Is “weight” a common word?
“Weight” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.
How many meanings does “weight” have?
“Weight” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: how heavy someone or something is.
What is the difference between weight and mass?
Mass is the amount of matter in an object and never changes. Weight is how heavy that object is — the pull of gravity on its mass — so it changes with location. An astronaut has the same mass on the Moon as on Earth but weighs far less, because the Moon's gravity is weaker.
How is weight measured?
Weight is measured with scales or a balance. In everyday use, people express it in kilograms and grams, or pounds and ounces, though strictly these are units of mass. Scientifically, weight is a force measured in newtons. For most daily purposes, weighing simply tells you how heavy something is.
What is the difference between 'weight' and 'weigh'?
'Weight' is the noun — how heavy something is, as in 'the weight of the parcel.' 'Weigh' is the verb — the act of measuring that heaviness, as in 'please weigh the parcel.' You weigh an object to find out its weight. One names the quantity; the other is the action.
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