weight Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun the vertical force exerted by a mass as a result of gravity
  2. noun 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
    exercising weight; free weight.
  3. noun the relative importance granted to something
    weightiness.
    • his opinion carries great weight
    • the progression implied an increasing weightiness of the items listed
  4. noun an artifact that is heavy
  5. noun an oppressive feeling of heavy force
    • bowed down by the weight of responsibility
  6. noun a system of units used to express the weight of something
    system of weights.
  7. noun a unit used to measure weight
    weight unit.
    • he placed two weights in the scale pan
  8. noun (statistics) a coefficient assigned to elements of a frequency distribution in order to represent their relative importance
    weighting.
  9. verb weight down with a load
    burthen; weight down; burden.
  10. verb present with a bias
    angle; slant.
    • He biased his presentation so as to please the share holders

WordNet

Weight noun
Etymology
OE. weght, wight, AS. gewiht; akin to D. gewigt, G. gewicht, Icel. vætt, Sw. vigt, Dan. vægt. See Weigh, v. t.
Definitions
  1. The quality of being heavy; that property of bodies by which they tend toward the center of the earth; the effect of gravitative force, especially when expressed in certain units or standards, as pounds, grams, etc. ✍ Weight differs from gravity in being the effect of gravity, or the downward pressure of a body under the influence of gravity; hence, it constitutes a measure of the force of gravity, and being the resultant of all the forces exerted by gravity upon the different particles of the body, it is proportional to the quantity of matter in the body.
  2. The quantity of heaviness; comparative tendency to the center of the earth; the quantity of matter as estimated by the balance, or expressed numerically with reference to some standard unit; as, a mass of stone having the weight of five hundred pounds.
    For sorrow, like a heavy-hanging bell, Once set on ringing, with his own weight goes. Shak.
  3. Hence, pressure; burden; as, the weight of care or business. "The weight of this said time." Shak.
    For the public all this weight he bears. Milton.
    [He] who singly bore the world's sad weight. Keble.
  4. Importance; power; influence; efficacy; consequence; moment; impressiveness; as, a consideration of vast weight.
    In such a point of weight, so near mine honor. Shak.
  5. A scale, or graduated standard, of heaviness; a mode of estimating weight; as, avoirdupois weight; troy weight; apothecaries' weight.
  6. A ponderous mass; something heavy; as, a clock weight; a paper weight.
    A man leapeth better with weights in his hands. Bacon.
  7. A definite mass of iron, lead, brass, or other metal, to be used for ascertaining the weight of other bodies; as, an ounce weight.
  8. (Mech.) The resistance against which a machine acts, as opposed to the power which moves it. Obs. Syn. -- Ponderousness; gravity; heaviness; pressure; burden; load; importance; power; influence; efficacy; consequence; moment; impressiveness.
Weight transitive verb
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Weighted; present participle & verbal noun Weighting
Definitions
  1. To load with a weight or weights; to load down; to make heavy; to attach weights to; as, to weight a horse or a jockey at a race; to weight a whip handle.
    The arrows of satire, . . . weighted with sense. Coleridge.
  2. (Astron. & Physics) To assign a weight to; to express by a number the probable accuracy of, as an observation. See Weight of observations, under Weight.

Webster 1913