weigh down
phrasal verb·1 sense·particle down
Meanings
Burden or oppress
Why “down”? Something is pressed down and kept from rising again.
“The debt was weighing him down.”
“The heavy backpack weighed her down on the climb.”
Don't confuse with
Weigh down means burden or oppress. Weigh up means carefully consider the pros and cons of something.
Test yourself
“The debt was weighing him down.” What does it mean?
Nearby in the meaning map
Sink In connects verbs by particle pattern, contrast pairs, and shared base verbs.
weigh up
A contrast learners often mix up
Carefully consider the pros and cons of something
bog down
Same down pattern: pressure
Slow or get stuck
bring down
Same down pattern: pressure
Cause something to fall or land; Make something lower in level or amount; Cause a government or leader to lose power; Make someone feel sad or depressed
clamp down
Same down pattern: pressure
Impose strict control
crack down
Same down pattern: pressure
Take strict action against bad behaviour
face down
Same down pattern: pressure
Confront a challenge or opponent directly
hold down
Same down pattern: pressure
Keep someone or something restrained
hunker down
Same down pattern: pressure
Take cover; settle in low
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