English Meaning & Definitions
A person or thing of minor importance added to complete a required number, quantity, or deal; a filler.
- โHe was included in the player trade merely as a makeweight, but he unexpectedly went on to become a star performer.โ
- โThe final chapter felt like a useless makeweight added by the author just to inflate the page count.โ
Serving to make up a deficiency or fill out a required total; supplementary and minor.
- โThe club brought in several makeweight signings to meet the minimum roster requirements before the season started.โ
English Antonyms & Opposites
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for โmakeweightโ.
Originating in the late 17th century, the word combines 'make' and 'weight'. It originally described a small extra piece of produce or metal tossed onto a scale by a butcher or merchant to bring the total up to the required weight. Over time, it developed a figurative meaning to describe any person or thing of little intrinsic value added merely to complete a deal, roster, or quota.
Picture throwing a tiny piece of bread onto a scale just to 'make the weight'โit's a filler object with no real importance on its own.
Frequently Asked Questions About โmakeweightโ
1. What is the meaning of โmakeweightโ in English?
In English, makeweight (noun) is defined as: โA person or thing of minor importance added to complete a required number, quantity, or deal; a filler.โ.
2. How do you use โmakeweightโ in a sentence?
โHe was included in the player trade merely as a makeweight, but he unexpectedly went on to become a star performer.โ
3. What are English synonyms of โmakeweightโ?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of โmakeweightโ?
Originating in the late 17th century, the word combines 'make' and 'weight'. It originally described a small extra piece of produce or metal tossed onto a scale by a butcher or merchant to bring the total up to the required weight. Over time, it developed a figurative meaning to describe any person or thing of little intrinsic value added merely to complete a deal, roster, or quota.
๐ฌ๐งMore English Words to English
View all English words โThe base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.
A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.
A specific duration of time equivalent to one hour and forty-six minutes.