~ 1
■ verb
1》 find out how heavy (someone or something) is.
↘have a specified ~t.
↘balance (something) in the hands to assess its ~t.
↘( ~ something out ) measure and take out a portion of a particular ~t.
↘( ~ in ) (of a boxer or jockey) be officially ~ed before or after a contest.
↘( ~ out ) (of a jockey) be ~ed before a race.
2》 ( ~ someone down ) be heavy and cumbersome or oppressive to someone.
↘( ~ on ) be depressing or burdensome to.
3》 (often ~ something up/against ) assess the nature or importance of.
↘(often ~ against ) influence a decision or action.
4》 ( ~ in ) informal make a forceful contribution to a competition or argument.
↘( ~ into ) join in or attack forcefully or enthusiastically.
Phrases
~ anchor Nautical take up the anchor when ready to sail.
Derivatives
~able adjective
~er noun
Origin
OE wegan , of Gmc origin.
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~ 2
■ noun (in phr. under ~ ) Nautical another way of saying under way (see under ).
Origin
C18: from an erroneous assoc. with ~ anchor (see ~ 1 ).