/ weɪt; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
BEING HEAVY
1.
[ U , C ] how heavy sb/sth is, which can be measured in, for example, kilograms or pounds :
It is about 76 kilos in weight .
Bananas are sold by weight.
In the wild, this fish can reach a weight of 5lbs.
She is trying to lose weight (= become less heavy and less fat) .
He's put on / gained weight (= become heavier and fatter) since he gave up smoking.
Sam has a weight problem (= is too fat) .
No more for me. I have to watch my weight .
—see also overweight , underweight
2.
[ U ] the fact of being heavy :
He staggered a little under the weight of his backpack.
I just hoped the branch would take my weight .
The pillars have to support the weight of the roof.
Don't put any weight on that ankle for at least a week.
—see also deadweight
HEAVY OBJECT
3.
[ C ] an object that is heavy :
The doctor said he should not lift heavy weights.
4.
[ C ] an object used to keep sth in position or as part of a machine :
weights on a fishing line
—see also paperweight
RESPONSIBILITY / WORRY
5.
[ sing. ] weight (of sth) a great responsibility or worry
SYN burden :
The full weight of responsibility falls on her.
The news was certainly a weight off my mind (= I did not have to worry about it any more) .
Finally telling the truth was a great weight off my shoulders .
INFLUENCE / STRENGTH
6.
[ U ] importance, influence or strength :
The many letters of support added weight to the campaign.
The President has now offered to lend his weight to the project.
Your opinion carries weight with the boss.
How can you ignore the sheer weight of medical opinion?
The weight of evidence against her is overwhelming.
FOR MEASURING / LIFTING
7.
[ C , U ] a unit or system of units by which weight is measured :
tables of weights and measures
imperial / metric weight
8.
[ C ] a piece of metal that is known to weigh a particular amount and is used to measure the weight of sth, or lifted by people to improve their strength and as a sport :
a set of weights
She lifts weights as part of her training.
He does a lot of weight training .
•
IDIOMS
- take the weight off your feet
- throw your weight about / around
- throw / put your weight behind sth
- weight of numbers
—more at groan verb , pull verb , worth adjective
■ verb
[ vn ]
ATTACH HEAVY OBJECT
1.
weight sth (down) (with sth) to attach a weight to sth in order to keep it in the right position or make it heavier :
The fishing nets are weighted with lead.
GIVE IMPORTANCE
2.
[ usually passive ] to give different values to things to show how important you think each of them is compared with the others :
The results of the survey were weighted to allow for variations in the sample.
a weighted vote (= one that is worth more than a single vote)
( NAmE )
a weighted grade (= given at school for a course that is more advanced or harder and so has a higher value)
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English (ge)wiht , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch wicht and German Gewicht . The form of the word has been influenced by weigh .