to carry weight
3
4.4
- phrasal verb
- /ˈkæri weɪt/
:
tener peso
- For the participants, this arrangement is a form of kinship that carries weight socially, materially, and affectively.
- words carry weight
- still carries weight
- arguments carry weight
Oh, so you mean maybe something happened that carries weight?
- Oh, so you mean maybe something happened that carries weight?
Examples
-
That name will carry weight with the king.
-
For South Carolina, these arguments carry weight.
Academic text (2007) -
The editorial of the local newspaper used to carry weight.
Blog text (2) -
Letters to the editors of local newspapers carry weight if they have been written by students or parents.
Academic text (1993) -
A friend mentions a book, band, or movie, and it carries weight.
Blog text (33) -
A signed letter to the editor carries weight that anonymous chatter does not.
Blog text (26) -
And this financial literacy dilemma carries weight far past a student's graduation date.
Blog text (10) -
The words of Schrum carried weight because he was the only Pai leader who did not officially surrender to the U.S. military.
Academic text (2008) -
When the audience believes that the speaker is an expert on the topic and appears trustworthy, independent, and objective, that person carries weight with his or her arguments.
Academic text (2013) -
Letters to the editors of local newspapers carry weight if they have been written by students or parents.
Synonyms
9
6.6
To have power over people or situations
Antonyms
How Influential
Surface Forms
Morphology
The sense 'to have influence or importance' is directly and predictably derived from combining 'carry' (to bear/hold) with 'weight' (understood as significance), so a learner who knows both constituents can infer the metaphorical meaning. This mapping is common across many languages (e.g. Spanish 'tener peso', French 'avoir du poids'), supporting a transparent judgement for B1 learners.
Etymology
Carry weight comes from the simple picture of someone carrying something heavy: if it carries a lot of weight, people cannot ignore it. So today, when a person or idea 'carries weight', it means it has real 'influence'.