weigh down

phraseB22 meaningsNot compared — the two pools are counted one word at a time, so a phrase has no score

To weigh down is to press heavily on something. Actual weight, or worry.

The physical sense covers bags, branches and anything carrying more than it should. The figurative sense is about the mind, and being weighed down by responsibility or by debt is the standard use, which is why the word is so common in writing about stress. It splits round an object. The related adjective is weighed down, and the opposite feeling is being lifted or unburdened.

Definitions of weigh down

1phraseweigh downTo press down heavily on something.B2
“Snow will weigh down the branches until they snap.”
2phraseburdenTo burden somebody mentally.B2
“Debt can weigh down a family for years.”

Practised in Phrasal Verbs, A Man Called Ove

First appears in chapter 23 of A Man Called Ove.

Practise this word

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weigh down

phraseB22 meaningsNot compared — the two pools are counted one word at a time, so a phrase has no score

To weigh down is to press heavily on something. Actual weight, or worry.

Definitions of weigh down

1phraseweigh downTo press down heavily on something.B2
“Snow will weigh down the branches until they snap.”
2phraseburdenTo burden somebody mentally.B2
“Debt can weigh down a family for years.”

Practised in Phrasal Verbs, A Man Called Ove

First appears in chapter 23 of A Man Called Ove.

Practise this word