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Glite Dictionary
🏆 To be more important ⚖️ To be heavier
to outweigh

to outweigh

75 4.2
To be more important or valuable than something else
  • verb
  • /aʊtˈweɪ/
translation icon : superar
  • If the costs greatly outweigh the benefits, then the road may not get built.
  • benefits outweigh the costs
  • outweigh the costs
  • outweigh the risks

It's just that the numbers outweigh the minority.

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Examples

  • The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.

  • And in this story, obviously enough, the good is enough to outweigh the bad.

  • So may all your good hair days outweigh all your bad hair days.

    GQ

  • The potential benefits considerably outweigh the potential risks.

    ReasonTV

  • One hostage does not outweigh the threat to millions.

    Fast & Furious 6 (2013)

  • Teachers are left to wonder if these gains outweigh the risk of losing academic ground.

    Academic text (2012)

  • Most importantly, the benefits of treatment must outweigh the costs of screening.

    Academic text (2012)

  • Personally, I believe that children's rights should always outweigh adult rights.

    DoctorRamani

  • However, for some students, the need for adult attention outweighs their desire to graduate.

    Academic text (2013)

  • The benefits of early exercise outweigh the drawbacks of waking up early to work out.

Synonyms

to dominate
vsto outweigh
213 3.8

To be the most important or noticeable part of something

means being more important than another, not necessarily the central part
to overshadow
vsto outweigh
48 5.9

To make someone or something seem less important compared with another

means being more important itself rather than causing that perception change
to predominate
vsto outweigh
8 6.7

To be more common or important than others

focuses on greater importance or value rather than majority or size
to prevail over
vsto outweigh
8 5.8

To win against someone or something that tries to stop you

describes higher importance or value rather than winning a contest
to outstrip
vsto outweigh
7 6.8

To become faster, better, or larger than another

focuses on greater importance or value rather than speed or size
to weigh
vsto outweigh
3 5.0

To have importance or influence in a situation

means being more important compared with something else rather than simply having weight
to outbalance
vsto outweigh
1 7.1

To be more important than something else

has identical meaning and is used in the same situations
to overbalance
vsto outweigh
1 6.7

To be more important than something else

shares the same comparative sense of greater importance or influence
to preponderate
vsto outweigh
  • Formal
9.4

To be greater or more important than something else

expresses the same idea of greater importance or influence

How Important

to outweigh
75 4.2
to matter
∞ 1.4

Surface Forms

outweigh infinitive
outweighing present participle
outweighs third person singular
outweighed past
outweighed past participle

Morphology

outweigh = weigh (transparent) = out + weigh

The figurative sense 'be more important or have greater influence' is a regular metaphorical extension of 'weigh more' and learners familiar with 'weigh' and 'out-' can usually infer this meaning.

Etymology

Outweigh comes from the prefix out- meaning 'more than' and the verb weigh, which is about 'weight'. If you put ideas or reasons on an imagined scale, the one with more weight 'outweighs' the others, so it is more important or has greater influence.