outweigh

Outweigh is a verb that means to be heavier than something else or to be more significant in effect, importance, or influence. In physical terms, one object outweighs another if it has greater weight. In figurative use, factors such as benefits, risks, costs, or arguments are said to outweigh others when they are more substantial or persuasive.

Common uses include: "The benefits outweigh the costs," "The risks outweigh the potential gains," and "Her experience outweighs her lack of formal education." In these examples, the subject of the sentence is what outweighs the other element. The phrase can also occur in passive form, as in "The benefits are outweighed by the costs," when focusing on what is being surpassed.

Grammar and style notes: Outweigh is a transitive verb. Subject-verb agreement follows standard rules: singular subjects take outweighs (The cost outweighs the benefits), plural subjects take outweigh (The costs outweigh the benefits). The phrase is versatile and appears in academic, policy, and everyday writing. In many contexts, outweigh is used to compare competing factors, criteria, or outcomes rather than to describe physical objects alone. Related verbs include surpass and exceed, but outweigh specifically conveys surpassing in weight or in significance.

Etymology traces to the combination of out- (indicating surpassing) and weigh. The term is widely used in both American and British English and remains a common selection for evaluating trade-offs in reasoning and decision-making.