What does "weigh" mean?
The act of weighing, of measuring the weight
Weigh
/weɪ/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The act of weighing, of measuring the weight
- Grammar: weigh is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: consider, amount to something, analogize, appraise.
- Useful contrasts: discount, mass measuring, refuse to consider.
- Usage evidence: An astute reader should be willing to weigh everything they read, including anonymous sources.
How to use "weigh"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "weigh" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "weigh" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "weigh" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "weigh" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "weigh" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "consider" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "weigh", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The act of weighing, of measuring the weight
"Give the sugar a quick weigh."
Verb
- 1 To determine the weight of an object. transitive
- 2 show consideration for; take into account wordnet
- 3 Often with "out", to measure a certain amount of something by its weight, e.g. for sale. transitive
"He weighed out two kilos of oranges for a client."
- 4 have weight; have import, carry weight wordnet
- 5 To determine the intrinsic value or merit of an object, to evaluate. figuratively, transitive
"You have been weighed in the balance and found wanting."
Show 12 more definitions
- 6 to be oppressive or burdensome wordnet
- 7 To judge; to estimate. figuratively, intransitive, obsolete
"But ſhe thereof grew proud and inſolent, / That none ſhe worthie thought to be her fere, / But ſcornd them all, that loue vnto her ment; / Yet was ſhe lou’d of many a worthy pere, / Vnworthy ſhe to be belou’d ſo dere, / That could not weigh of worthineſſe aright."
- 8 determine the weight of wordnet
- 9 To consider a subject. transitive
- 10 have a certain weight wordnet
- 11 To have a certain weight. copulative, intransitive, stative
"I weigh ten and a half stone."
- 12 To have weight; to be heavy; to press down. intransitive
"If they ſhall faile, I with mine Enemies Will triumph o're my perſon, which I waigh not, Being of thoſe Vertues vacant."
- 13 To be considered as important; to have weight in the intellectual balance. intransitive
"Your vowes to her, and me,[…] / Will euen weigh, and both as light as tales."
- 14 To raise an anchor free of the seabed. transitive
- 15 To weigh anchor. intransitive
"Towards the euening we wayed, & approaching the ſhoare [...], we landed where there lay a many of baskets and much bloud, but ſaw not a Salvage."
- 16 To bear up; to raise; to lift into the air; to swing up.
"Weigh the vessel up."
- 17 To consider as worthy of notice; to regard. obsolete
"Thinke you I weigh this treaſure more than you? Not all the Gold in Indias welthy armes, Shall buy the meaneſt ſouldier in my traine."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"An astute reader should be willing to weigh everything they read, including anonymous sources."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "weigh"?
Common synonyms include: consider, amount to something, analogize, appraise, appreciate, ascertain.
How do you use "weigh" in a sentence?
An astute reader should be willing to weigh everything they read, including anonymous sources.
How do you pronounce "weigh"?
Pronounced /weɪ/.
Etymology
From Middle English weyen, from Old English wegan, from Proto-West Germanic *wegan, from Proto-Germanic *weganą (“to move, carry, weigh”), from Proto-Indo-European *wéǵʰeti, from *weǵʰ- (“to bring, transport”). Cognates Cognate with Scots wey, wee, Dutch wegen, German wiegen, wägen, Danish veje, Norwegian Bokmål veie, Norwegian Nynorsk vega. Doublet of wedge, wagon, way, and vector.