give weight

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

give weight (third-person singular simple present gives weight, present participle giving weight, simple past gave weight, past participle given weight) [with to]

1. (idiomatic) To attach importance to.
   • 1817 A complete collection of state trials and proceedings for high treason and other crimes and misdemeanors from the earliest period to the year 1783, with notes and other illustrations, Volume 23, Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme and Brown, p706

     “[...] merely observing that if you were to give weight to such an objection, there is not a panel who would not be entitled to the same benefit [...]”

   • 1996 January 23, “Simpson Attorney F. Lee Bailey Discusses O.J. Simpson and the Civil Suits Against Him”, in CBS Morning:

     Mr. Bailey: Well, I man, that's the opinion of an adversary, if it's a sincere opinion, which I question. I wouldn't give it much weight.

   • 1998, Thomas Scanlon, What we owe to each other, Harvard University Press, page 30:

     There certainly are some cases in which a person's failure to give weight to his or her future interests is irrational.

   • 2003, To promote innovation: the proper balance of competition and patent law and policy : a report by the Federal Trade Commission, DIANE Publishing, page 15:

     Requiring concrete suggestions or motivations beyond those actually needed by a person of ordinary skill in the art, and failing to give weight to suggestions implicit from the prior art as a whole [...] errs on the side of issuing patents to obvious inventions [...]"

2. (idiomatic) To improve the credibility or legitimacy of.
   • 1816, “Fabirgas vs Mostyn”, in A complete collection of state trials and proceedings for high treason and other crimes and misdemeanors from the earliest period to the year 1783, with notes and other illustrations, volume 20, Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown & Green, page 133:

     What were these 250 men to come for? – I imagined it was to give weight to the petition.

   • 1878 The Parliamentary debates (Authorized edition), Volume 237, H. M. Stationery Office, p773

     The next question is, we are told that this sham Estimate – for there is no intention of making it a real Estimate – is to give weight to this country in the approaching Conference.

   • 1916, Joseph A. Altsheler, The Tree of Appomattox, Appleton, page 76:

     We soldiers don’t hate one another when the war is over, and maybe the fact that I’ve fought through it will give weight to my words.

   • 2007 January 6, Ravi Nessman, “Jan. 3 Kollek Obituary Story”, in Associated Press:

     He started the Jerusalem Foundation to raise money for the city, seeking to give it cultural weight to match it's historical importance. The Israel Museum and the Biblical Zoo were among his pet projects.