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weigh
weigh anchor
To hoist the anchor so that a ship can sail. Weigh anchor, boys—we're going home!
weigh against someone or something
Fig. to count against someone or something; [for some fact] to work against someone or something. I hope my many absences do not weigh against me on the final grade. This will weigh against you.
weigh in (at something)
Fig. to present oneself at a certain weight. (Usually said of boxers.) The fighter weighed in at over two hundred pounds. The contenders weighed in yesterday.
weigh on someone's mind
Fig. [for something] to be in a person's thoughts; [for something] to be bothering someone's thinking. This problem has been weighing on my mind for many days now. I hate to have things weighing on my mind. I can't sleep when I'm worried.
weigh someone down
Fig. [for a thought] to worry or depress someone. All these problems really weigh me down. Financial problems have been weighing down our entire family.
weigh someone or something down
to burden someone or something. The heavy burden weighed the poor donkey down. The load of bricks weighed down the truck.
weigh someone's words
1. Fig. to consider carefully what someone says. I listened to what he said, and I weighed his words very carefully. Everyone was weighing his words. None of us knew exactly what he meant.
2. Fig. to consider one's own words carefully when speaking. I always weigh my words when I speak in public. John was weighing his words carefully because he didn't want to be misunderstood.
weigh something against something
to ponder something by balancing it against something. I weighed going to town against staying here and sleeping and I decided to stay here. When I weigh your suggestion against my own ideas, I realize that I must follow my own conscience.
weigh something out
to weigh something as it is distributed. The merchant weighed the cuts of meat out for each of the waiting women. They weighed out the grain care-fully.
weigh something up
to find out the weight of something. I can't tell you how much this will cost until I weigh it up. Liz weighed up the meat and jotted down the price.
weigh (up)on someone
Fig. to burden or worry someone. (Upon is formal and less commonly used than on.) The problems at the office were beginning to weigh upon Mr. Franklin. My problems began to weigh on me.
weigh a ton
to be very heavy
This suitcase weighs a ton! Usage notes: usually said about something you have to lift or carry
weigh somebody down
also weigh down somebody1. to be very heavy for someone to carry She checked her bags because she knew they would weigh her down. The number of keys he carried would have weighed down a band of sturdy men.
2. to make someone feel tired and weak He was weighed down by worries about money. Old, sad memories weighed her down.
weigh down something
also weigh something down to slow the operation or growth of an organization The company was weighed down with debt. Health-care costs weigh the economy down.
weigh in
to offer an opinion in a discussion or argument Mr. Pierce weighed in with a warning that many companies would not be able to meet the deadline. One angry woman weighed in to remind us that a lot of what we'd read was not true.
weigh in at something
to be measured as being a particular weight tip the scales at something Both fighters weighed in at 162 pounds. The baby weighed in at 6 pounds, 9 ounces.
weigh on somebody
to cause someone anxiety or worry Her daughter's illness definitely weighed on her mind.
weigh on something
to push something down
High energy prices weigh on a company's profits by increasing production costs. Usage notes: usually used in connection with financial markets or prices
weigh your words
to think carefully about what you will say I had weighed my words because I didn't want any confusion over what I intended to do.
weigh a ton
(informal) to be very heavy This suitcase weighs a ton!
weigh your words
also weigh each word to think carefully about something before you say it Jake explained the reasons for his decision, weighing each word as he spoke.
weigh down
Burden, oppress, as in Their problems have weighed them down. This expression transfers bowing under a physical weight to emotional burdens. [c. 1600]
weigh in
Be weighed; also, be of a particular weight. For example, Because it was such a small plane, the passengers and their luggage had to weigh in before takeoff , or The fish weighed in at 18 pounds. [Late 1800s]
weigh on
Also, weigh upon. Depress, as in His criticism weighed on her, or The long silence began to weigh upon us. This idiom was first recorded in 1775.
weigh one's words
Speak or write with deliberation or considerable care, as in The doctor weighed his words as he explained her illness. This term was first recorded in 1340.
weigh against
v.1. To compare something to something else in order to make a decision: When we weighed our decision against the alternatives, it was clearly the wrong choice.
2. To affect someone or something adversely in an evaluation: My poor test scores will weigh against me.
weigh down
v.1. To hold or bend something down by applying weight: I weighed the trail map down on the ground with stones. The vines were weighed down by their heavy grapes.
2. To burden or oppress someone or something: Heavy backpacks weighed down the hikers. The responsibilities of the new job weighed me down.
weigh in
v.1. To be weighed at an official weigh-in for an athletic competition: The boxer weighed in before the fight. The fighter weighed in at 250 pounds.
2. To weigh something officially, as for travel on an airplane: The ticket agent weighed our bags in. After the agent weighed in my suitcase, I went to the gate.
3. To join an ongoing discussion, debate, or competition: The president still hasn't weighed in on the issue. After striking out twice, the player finally weighed in with a base hit.
weigh on
or weigh uponv.1. To cause to sink or bend heavily by or as if by added weight: The bad news weighed on the prices of oil stocks. A coating of ice weighed upon the slender branches.
2. To preoccupy someone with a feeling of guilt or blame: The consequences of their mistake weighed on them. Heavy guilt weighed upon the thief.
weigh out
v.1. To measure or apportion some specific quantity by or as if by weight: The clerk weighed out a pound of cheese.
2. To weigh or otherwise evaluate something: We weighed out the hamburger and found we needed another pound. I wasn't sure that they gave us the correct amount, so I weighed it out.
3. To determine the relative value of some set of things: The council listened to our requests and carefully weighed them out.
weigh with
v. To be of importance to someone when making a decision: The issue of taxes will weigh heavily with the voters.