- weight
- weight [wāt]n.[ME weiht, altered (infl. by weien, WEIGH1) < OE wiht < wegan: see WEIGH1]1. a portion or quantity weighing a definite or specified amount [ten pounds weight of lead]2.a) heaviness as a quality of thingsb) Physics the force of gravity acting on a body, equal to the mass of the body multiplied by the acceleration of gravity3.a) quantity or amount of heaviness; how much a thing weighsb) the amount a specified thing should weigh4.a) any unit of heaviness or massb) any system of such units [troy weight, avoirdupois weight]: see the table of weights and measures in the Reference Supplementc) a piece, as of metal, of a specific standard heaviness, used on a balance or scale in weighing5. any block or mass of material used for its heaviness; specif.,a) one used to hold light things down or in position [a paperweight]b) one used to drive a mechanism [the weights in a clock]c) one used to maintain balance [weights placed on an automobile wheel]d) one of a particular heaviness, lifted as an athletic exercise6.a) any heavy thing or loadb) a burden or oppressiveness, as of responsibility or sorrow7. importance or consequence [a matter of great weight]8. influence, power, or authority [to throw one's weight to the losing side]9. the relative thickness or heaviness of a fabric or an article of clothing as proper to a particular season, use, etc. [a suit of summer weight]10. Printing the relative thickness of the lines in type fonts11. Sportsa) any of the several classifications into which boxers and wrestlers are placed according to how much they weighb) the number of pounds a horse is required to carry for a particular race, including the weight of the jockey, the saddle, and, often, added lead weights12. Statistics a constant assigned to a single item in a frequency distribution, indicative of the item's relative importancevt.1. to add weight to; make heavy or heavier2. to burden; load down; oppress3. to treat (thread or fabric) with a solution of metallic salts, in order to increase its weight4. to manage, control, or influence in a particular direction or so as to favor a particular side; slant [the evidence was weighted against the defendant]5. Statistics to assign a weight to in a frequency distributionSYN.- IMPORTANCE, INFLUENCE——————by weightas determined by weighing——————carry weightto be important, influential, etc.——————pull one's weightto do one's share——————throw one's weight aroundto take undue advantage of one's authority or rank; be overbearing
English World dictionary. V. Neufeldt. 2014.