weight
noun
uk/weɪt/ us [ C or U ]
how heavy something or someone is:
The Directive mandates that 85% of the weight of the vehicle must be reused or recycled.
by weight Metal products for children should not consist of more than 0.06% lead, by weight.
increase/decrease in weight Cars have increased in weight and fuel economy has suffered accordingly.
[ C ]
any object that is heavy:
The warehouse work involves the lifting of heavy weights.
[ U ]
the quality of being heavy:
Most fabrics need interfacing to support the weight of buttons.
[ C or U ] MEASURES
a unit or system of units used for expressing how much an object weighs:
Imperial weights and measures were introduced in the 13th century.
respect, influence, trust, or importance:
The Association's reports carry weight because it stands for independence and integrity.
The guidelines give greater weight to economic potential.
Few people attached much weight to the findings of the enquiry.
throw/put your weight behind sth
to use all your influence to support something:
The building firm threw its weight behind criticism of the government's new planning restrictions.
under the weight of sth
suffering problems or difficulties caused by something:
The American economy is slowing down under the weight of higher interest rates.
See also
equal weight
gross weight
net weight
pull verb
punch
weight
verb [ T, usually passive ]
uk/weɪt/ usto give greater or lesser values to things to show how important they are compared to each other:
be weighted according to sth Each country's growth rate is weighted according to its share of world GDP.
be weighted by sth Most indexes are weighted by market value.
The results have been weighted to take account of household size.
to organize something in a way that is likely to produce an advantage or disadvantage:
be weighted against sb/sth In the marketplace, costs are weighted against smaller investors.
be weighted in favour of/towards sb/sth The labour market is heavily weighted toward skilled jobseekers.