weigh up

weigh up — phrasal verb

  • weigh upbase form
  • weighs up3rd person singular
  • weighing up-ing form
  • weighed uppast simple
Phrasal verbs

weigh up

phrasal verb

to form an opinion about someone by watching, listening to, or talking to them, often in a quick or informal way

Michael weighed up his new colleague during their first project meeting together.

Standing at the door, Yara weighed up each guest as they walked into the party.

Idioms

weigh up

idiom

to think carefully about the advantages and disadvantages of a situation before making a decision about it

Felix weighed up the pros and cons of moving to a new city before accepting the job offer.

Before investing her savings, Emma weighed up the risks and potential rewards carefully.

weigh up

idiom

to form an opinion about someone's abilities and character, or about a situation, by thinking about it carefully

During the interview, Vivek tried to weigh up whether the candidate had the right skills for the team.

Tariro weighed up the situation for a moment before responding to the angry customer.

Synonym discussion

Sense: phrasal verb/idiom/1

'Weigh up', 'consider', 'evaluate', and 'assess' all involve careful thought, but they differ in focus. 'Weigh up' is the most specific — it suggests literally comparing two sides, like putting items on a scale. 'Consider' is the broadest and most general; you can consider anything from a simple idea to a complex proposal. 'Evaluate' is more formal and implies assigning a value or grade to something ('evaluate a student's performance'). 'Assess' is also formal but often focuses on measuring quality, risk, or importance ('assess the damage'). In everyday conversation, 'weigh up' and 'consider' are the most natural choices; 'evaluate' and 'assess' belong in writing or professional speech. For example: 'I weighed up whether to take the train or drive' (balanced pros and cons), but 'I considered taking the train' (just a possibility) and 'The mechanic assessed the damage' (measured the extent).

weigh up ↗consider ↗evaluate ↗assess ↗

Etymology

Old EnglishProto-GermanicMiddle EnglishEnglish

'Weigh up' comes from the literal meaning of placing something on a scale to find its weight. 'Weigh' traces back to Old English 'wegan' (to carry, move, or weigh), from Proto-Germanic '*weganą'. The sense of 'mentally balancing options' dates back to at least the 14th century. The particle 'up' was added to form the phrasal verb in the 16th century, originally meaning 'to lift' or 'to raise', and later developed the figurative sense of 'bringing considerations to the surface for examination'.