weight

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.

“Weight” is pronounced wayt (/weɪt/ in IPA).

Here is “weight” used in a sentence: “The doctor asked about his recent change in weight.”

Depending on how it is used, “weight” can be a noun and a verb.

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".

“Weight” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.

“Weight” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: how heavy someone or something is.

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.

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.

'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.