Weigh

• POS: Noun, Verb (intransitive), Verb (transitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

Weigh, n. 

 A corruption of Way, used only in the phrase under weigh.  [1913 Webster]
"An expedition was got under weigh from New York."  [1913 Webster]
"The Athenians . . . hurried on board and with considerable difficulty got under weigh."  [1913 Webster]

Weigh, v. t. [OE. weien, weyen, weghen, AS. wegan to bear, move; akin to D. wegen to weigh, G. wägen, wiegen, to weigh, bewegen to move, OHG. wegan, Icel. vega to move, carry, lift, weigh, Sw. väga to weigh, Dan. veie, Goth. gawigan to shake, L. vehere to carry, Skr. vah. . See Way, and cf. Wey.].

•  To bear up; to raise; to lift into the air; to swing up; as, to weigh anchor.  Cowper.  [1913 Webster]
•  To examine by the balance; to ascertain the weight of, that is, the force with which a thing tends to the center of the earth; to determine the heaviness, or quantity of matter of; as, to weigh sugar; to weigh gold.  [1913 Webster]

  "Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting."  [1913 Webster]
•  To be equivalent to in weight; to counterbalance; to have the heaviness of.  Boyle.  [1913 Webster]
•  To pay, allot, take, or give by weight.  [1913 Webster]

  "They weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver."  [1913 Webster]
•  To examine or test as if by the balance; to ponder in the mind; to consider or examine for the purpose of forming an opinion or coming to a conclusion; to estimate deliberately and maturely; to balance.  [1913 Webster]

  "A young man not weighed in state affairs."  [1913 Webster]

  "Had no better weighed
  The strength he was to cope with, or his own."  [1913 Webster]

  "Regard not who it is which speaketh, but weigh only what is spoken."  [1913 Webster]

  "In nice balance, truth with gold she weighs."  [1913 Webster]

  "Without sufficiently weighing his expressions."  [1913 Webster]
•  To consider as worthy of notice; to regard.  Shak.  [1913 Webster]

  "All that she so dear did weigh."  [1913 Webster]

To weigh down. (a) To overbalance. (b) To oppress with weight; to overburden; to depress. “To weigh thy spirits down.” Milton.

Weigh, v. i. 

•  To have weight; to be heavy.  Cowper.  [1913 Webster]
•  To be considered as important; to have weight in the intellectual balance.  [1913 Webster]

  "Your vows to her and me . . . will even weigh."  [1913 Webster]

  "This objection ought to weigh with those whose reading is designed for much talk and little knowledge."  [1913 Webster]
•  To bear heavily; to press hard.  [1913 Webster]

  "Cleanse the stuffed bosom of that perilous stuff
  Which weighs upon the heart."  [1913 Webster]
•  To judge; to estimate.  [1913 Webster]

  "Could not weigh of worthiness aright."  [1913 Webster]

To weigh down, to sink by its own weight.

Weigh, n. [See Wey.].

 A certain quantity estimated by weight; an English measure of weight. See Wey.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Weigh, v.
1 tr. find the weight of.
2 tr. balance in the hands to guess or as if to guess the weight of.
3 tr. (often foll. by out) a take a definite weight of; take a specified weight from a larger quantity. b distribute in exact amounts by weight.
4 tr. a estimate the relative value, importance, or desirability of; consider with a view to choice, rejection, or preference (weighed the consequences; weighed the merits of the candidates). b (foll. by with, against) compare (one consideration with another).
5 tr. be equal to (a specified weight) (weighs three kilos; weighs very little).
6 intr. a have (esp. a specified) importance; exert an influence. b (foll. by with) be regarded as important by (the point that weighs with me).
7 intr. (often foll. by on) be heavy or burdensome (to); be depressing (to).

Idiom

weigh anchor see ANCHOR. weigh down
1 bring or keep down by exerting weight.
2 be oppressive or burdensome to (weighed down with worries). weigh in (of a boxer before a contest, or a jockey after a race) be weighed. weigh-in n. the weighing of a boxer before a fight. weighing-machine a machine for weighing persons or large weights. weigh into colloq. attack (physically or verbally). weigh in with colloq. advance (an argument etc.) assertively or boldly. weigh out (of a jockey) be weighed before a race. weigh up colloq. form an estimate of; consider carefully. weigh one's words carefully choose the way one expresses something.

Derivative

weighable adj. weigher n.

Weigh, n.

Idiom

under weigh disp. = under way.

Etymology

18th c.: from an erron. assoc. with weigh anchor

THESAURUS

Weigh

amount to something, analogize, appraise, appreciate, assay, assess, assimilate, balance, be abstracted, be featured, be heavy, be influential, be persuasive, be prominent, be somebody, be something, bring into analogy, bring into comparison, brood, calculate, calibrate, caliper, carry, carry weight, catalog, categorize, charge, check a parameter, chew the cud, class, classify, compare, compare and contrast, compare with, compute, confront, consider, contemplate, contrast, count, counterbalance, counterpose, cumber, cut ice, cut some ice, debate, deliberate, dial, digest, divide, draw a comparison, draw a parallel, encumber, estimate, evaluate, excogitate, factor, fathom, gauge, get top billing, graduate, group, have an in, have full play, have influence, have personality, have pull, have weight, heft, hold the scales, identify, import, introspect, lade, lie heavy, liken, liken to, load, lumber, match, matter, measure, measure against, meditate, mensurate, metaphorize, mete, meter, militate, mind, muse, oppose, pace, parallel, perpend, place against, play around with, play with, plumb, ponder, prize, probe, quantify, quantize, rate, reflect, register, relate, ruminate, run a comparison, saddle, set in contrast, set in opposition, set off against, set over against, sift, signify, similize, size, size up, sort, sort out, sound, span, speculate, stand out, star, step, strike a balance, study, survey, take a reading, tax, tell, think over, thrash out, tip the scales, toy with, triangulate, valuate, value, view together, weigh against, weigh heavy, weigh in, weigh out, weight, winnow

ROGET THESAURUS

Weigh

Influence

VB have influence, be influential, carry weight, weigh, tell, have a hold upon, magnetize, bear upon, gain a footing, work upon, take root, take hold, strike root in, run through, pervade, prevail, dominate, predominate, out weigh, over weigh, over-ride, over-bear, gain head, rage, be rife, spread like wildfire, have the upper hand, get the upper hand, gain the upper hand, have full play, get full play, gain full play, be recognized, be listened to, make one's voice heard, gain a hearing, play a part, play a leading part, play a leading part in, take the lead, pull the strings, turn the scale, throw one's weight into the scale, set the fashion, lead the dance.

Gravity

VB be heavy, gravitate, weigh, press, cumber, load, weigh, poise, be heavy, gravitate, weigh, press, cumber, load, weigh, poise.

Thought

VB think, reflect, cogitate, excogitate, consider, deliberate, bestow thought upon, bestow consideration upon, speculate, contemplate, meditate, ponder, muse, dream, ruminate, brood over, con over, animadvert, study, bend the mind, apply the mind, digest, discuss, hammer at, weigh, perpend, realize, appreciate, fancy, trow, take into consideration, take counsel, commune with oneself, bethink oneself, collect one's thoughts, revolve in the mind, turn over in the mind, run over in the mind, chew the cud upon, sleep upon, take counsel of one's pillow, advise with one's pillow, rack one's brains, ransack one's brains, crack one's brains, beat one's brains, cudgel one's brains, set one's brain to work, set one's wits to work, harbor an idea, entertain an idea, cherish an idea, nurture an idea, take into one's head, bear in mind, reconsider, occur, present itself, suggest itself, come into one's head, get into one's head, strike one, flit across the view, come uppermost, run in one s head, enter the mind, pass in the mind, cross the mind, flash on the mind, flash across the mind, float in the mind, fasten itself on the mind, be uppermost in the mind, occupy the mind, have in one's mind, make an impression, sink into the mind, penetrate into the mind, engross the thoughts.

Measurement

VB measure, mete, determine, assay, evaluate, value, assess, rate, appraise, estimate, form an estimate, set a value on, appreciate, standardize, span, pace step, apply the compass, gauge, plumb, probe, sound, fathom, heave the log, heave the lead, survey, weigh, take an average, graduate.