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weigh

/weɪ/
/weɪ/
IPA guide

Other forms: weighed; weighing; weighs

To weigh is all about judging; you could be seeing how heavy something is or if it is a good choice. You could weigh the tomatoes you're buying or weigh your options when applying to college.

To weigh something can mean to physically assess its weight — is it 3 pounds? 40 kilos? 22 grams? But it's no accident that the symbol for justice is often a scale. That's because all of the facts of a case need to be weighed or evaluated for justice to be served. And hopefully the decision will be balanced and fair.

Definitions of weigh
  1. verb
    have a certain weight
    synonyms:
    librate
    determine the weight of
    see moresee less
    type of:
    measure
    have certain dimensions
  2. verb
    determine the weight of
    “The butcher weighed the chicken”
    synonyms: librate
    see moresee less
    types:
    heft
    test the weight of something by lifting it
    type of:
    measure, quantify
    express as a number or measure or quantity
  3. verb
    show consideration for; take into account
    synonyms: consider, count
  4. verb
    have weight; have import, carry weight
    synonyms: count, matter
    see moresee less
    types:
    press
    to be oppressive or burdensome
    type of:
    be
    have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)
  5. verb
    to be oppressive or burdensome
    synonyms: press
    see moresee less
    type of:
    count, matter
    have weight; have import, carry weight
Pronunciation
US
/weɪ/
UK
/weɪ/
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘weigh'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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