What does "weight" mean?
The downwards force an object experiences due to gravity.
Weight
/weɪt/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The downwards force an object experiences due to gravity.
- Grammar: weight is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: weighting, accent, add mass, adulterate.
- Useful contrasts: orbital gravity, portuguese massa, upward normal force.
- Usage evidence: It's too bad that I don't need to lose weight.
How to use "weight"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "weight" 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 "weight" 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 "weight" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "weight" 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 "weight" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang 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 "weighting" 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 "weight", 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 downwards force an object experiences due to gravity. countable, uncountable
- 2 an artifact that is heavy wordnet
- 3 An object used to make something heavier. countable, uncountable
- 4 sports equipment used in calisthenic exercises and weightlifting; it is not attached to anything and is raised and lowered by use of the hands and arms wordnet
- 5 A standardized block of metal used in a balance to measure the mass of another object. countable, uncountable
Show 27 more definitions
- 6 the vertical force exerted by a mass as a result of gravity wordnet
- 7 Importance or influence. countable, figuratively, uncountable
"I liked the man for his own sake, and even had he promised to turn out a celebrity it would have had no weight with me. I look upon notoriety with the same indifference as on the buttons on a man's shirt-front, or the crest on his note-paper."
- 8 the relative importance granted to something wordnet
- 9 An object, such as a weight plate or barbell, used for strength training. countable, uncountable
"He's working out with weights. Weight-bearing exercise is now understood to be just as important as cardio."
- 10 an oppressive feeling of heavy force wordnet
- 11 An object, such as a weight plate or barbell, used for strength training.; Ellipsis of free weight, as contrasted with the weights inside an exercise machine. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, sometimes, specifically, uncountable
"I prefer weights over machines."
- 12 (statistics) a coefficient assigned to elements of a frequency distribution in order to represent their relative importance wordnet
- 13 Viscosity rating. countable, uncountable
- 14 a unit used to measure weight wordnet
- 15 Mass (atomic weight, molecular weight, etc.) (in restricted circumstances). countable, uncountable
- 16 a system of units used to express the weight of something wordnet
- 17 Synonym of mass (in general circumstances). countable, proscribed, uncountable
- 18 Mass (net weight, troy weight, carat weight, etc.). countable, uncountable
"I'm the same weight as I was ten years ago."
- 19 A variable which multiplies a value for ease of statistical manipulation. countable, uncountable
- 20 The smallest cardinality of a base. countable, uncountable
- 21 The boldness of a font; the relative thickness of its strokes. countable, uncountable
"font weight"
- 22 The relative thickness of a drawn rule or painted brushstroke, line weight. countable, uncountable
- 23 The illusion of mass. countable, uncountable
- 24 The thickness and opacity of paint. countable, uncountable
- 25 The thickness of yarn. countable, uncountable
"If you'd like to use a different weight of yarn, just check the label for the recommended crochet hook size and use that."
- 26 Pressure; burden. countable, figuratively, uncountable
"the weight of care or business"
- 27 The resistance against which a machine acts, as opposed to the power which moves it. countable, uncountable
- 28 Shipments of (often illegal) drugs. slang, uncountable
"He was pushing weight."
- 29 One pound of drugs, especially cannabis. countable, slang
"[I was] doing a weight [1 lb. at that time] a week, sometimes more, sometimes less."
- 30 Money. countable, dated, uncountable
"No matter how much money he makes, he is still a soldier, but he has the weight."
- 31 Weight class countable, uncountable
"You’re no match for ’em. You ain’t up to their weight. It’s like little Black Strap standing up to Tom Spring,—the Black’s a pretty fighter but, Law bless you, his arm ain’t long enough to touch Tom,—and I tell you, you’re going it with fellers beyond your weight."
- 32 Emphasis applied to a given criterion. countable, especially, uncountable
"“Logits” are the vectors of weights."
Verb
- 1 To add weight to something; to make something heavier. transitive
- 2 present with a bias wordnet
- 3 To add weight to something; to make something heavier.; To load (fabrics) with barite, etc. to increase the weight. transitive
- 4 weight down with a load wordnet
- 5 To load, burden or oppress someone. transitive
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 To assign weights to individual statistics. transitive
- 7 To bias something; to slant. transitive
"The criteria governing the choice of candidate were heavily weighted in his favor."
- 8 To handicap a horse with a specified weight. transitive
- 9 To give a certain amount of force to a throw, kick, hit, etc. transitive
"With good peripheral vision he spots his teammate, Ray Evans, lurking in the scoring zone and sweeps a perfectly weighted pass to him."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"It's too bad that I don't need to lose weight."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "weight"?
Common synonyms include: weighting, accent, add mass, adulterate, affliction, albatrosses.
How do you use "weight" in a sentence?
It's too bad that I don't need to lose weight.
How do you pronounce "weight"?
Pronounced /weɪt/.
Etymology
From Middle English weight, weiȝte, weght, wight, from Old English wiht, ġewiht (“weight”), from Proto-Germanic *wihtiz ("weight"; compare *weganą (“to move”)), from Proto-Indo-European *weǵʰ- (“to move; pull; draw; drive”). Equivalent to weigh + -t (abstract nominal suffix). Cognate with Scots wecht, weicht (“weight”), Saterland Frisian Wächte (“scale”), Gewicht (“weight”), West Frisian gewicht (“weight”), Dutch gewicht (“weight”), German Low German Wicht, Gewicht (“weight”), German Wucht (“massiveness, force”), Gewicht (“weight”).