weight

Pronunciation: /weɪt/

Definition of weight

1 [mass noun] a body’s relative mass or the quantity of matter contained by it, giving rise to a downward force; the heaviness of a person or thing:he was at least fifteen stone in weight
Physics the force exerted on the mass of a body by a gravitational field.
the quality of being heavy:as he came upstairs the boards creaked under his weight
[count noun] a unit or system of units used for expressing how much an object or quantity of matter weighs:weights and measures

2a piece of metal known to weigh a definite amount and used on scales to determine how heavy an object or quantity of a substance is: the herbalist spooned the powder on to scales with tiny brass weights
a heavy object, especially one being lifted or carried: be careful when lifting a heavy weight
a heavy object used to give an impulse or act as a counterpoise in a mechanism.
a heavy object thrown by a shot-putter.
(weights) blocks or discs of metal or other heavy material used in weightlifting or weight training.
[mass noun] the amount that a jockey is expected or required to weigh, or the amount that a horse can easily carry.

3 [mass noun] the ability of someone or something to influence decisions or actions:a recommendation by the committee will carry great weight
the importance attributed to something:individuals differ in the weight they attach to various aspects of a job
Statistics a factor associated with one of a set of numerical quantities, used to represent its importance relative to the other members of the set.

[with object]

1hold (something) down by placing a heavy object on top of it:a mug half filled with coffee weighted down a stack of papers
attach a heavy object to (something), especially so as to make it stay in place:the jugs were covered with muslin veils weighted with coloured beads

2attribute importance or value to:speaking, reading, and writing should be weighted equally in the assessment
(be weighted) be planned or arranged so as to put a specified person, group, or factor in a position of advantage or disadvantage:the balance of power is weighted in favour of the government
Statistics multiply the components of (an average) by factors to take account of their importance.

Phrases

put on (or lose) weight: become fatter (or thinner): you shouldn’t be eating that burger—you’ve put on weight lately she had lost weight and her features seemed almost angular
throw one's weight about (or around): informal be unpleasantly self-assertive: he didn’t swagger or throw his weight around
throw one's weight behind: informal use one’s influence to help support: the council is to throw its weight behind a campaign to save one of the borough’s best-loved beauty spots
the weight of the world: used in reference to a very heavy burden of worry or responsibility:he continues to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders
be a weight off one's mind: come as a great relief after one has been worried: there’s nothing seriously wrong with you—is that a weight off your mind?
be worth one's weight in gold: be extremely useful or helpful: someone who can understand and collate medical notes is worth their weight in gold

Old English (ge)wiht, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch wicht and German Gewicht. The form of the word has been influenced by weigh¹

Spell weight with the e before the i, then -ght.

Definition of weight in the US English dictionary