Home British & World English worth

Definition of worth in English:

worth

adjective

  • 1predicative Equivalent in value to the sum or item specified.

    ‘jewellery worth £450 was taken’
    • ‘Each authority will end up with separate contracts and their total value will be worth more than £100m a year.’
    • ‘However, the modern Dutch cow creamer is worth one-tenth the value of an 18th century English one.’
    • ‘Then, one barrel of oil was worth the equivalent of $80 in today's terms.’
    • ‘No, it's all about convincing people that what you have to sell is worth the value.’
    • ‘The deals, worth a combined value of £5 million, will see the Bradford business work on a variety of projects for the firm.’
    • ‘Last year, a manuscript of Shadowmancer alone was valued by one collector as being worth £100,000.’
    • ‘The shares, worth eight times their float value, make him rich enough never to have to work again.’
    • ‘I have not had the antiques valued for years but the collection is worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.’
    • ‘The full course of medicines worth Rs.4,000 is given absolutely free to the patient, said Dr. Leela.’
    • ‘The on-the-spot fines will apply to shoplifters caught stealing goods worth up to £200.’
    • ‘The winner will also qualify for a national draw to win holiday vouchers worth £500.’
    • ‘The three-year deal is reputed to be worth in the region of €3 million.’
    • ‘Thailand is a major food exporter and ships out products worth about 270 billion baht annually.’
    • ‘Now the factory produces up to 7,000 tiles a month, worth around Rp 20 million.’
    • ‘Reliance Industries Ltd will export petrochemicals worth $700 million to China this year.’
    • ‘Last year, Ireland exported goods worth €21,824 for every man, woman and child in the country.’
    • ‘Harris is believed to have signed a three-year deal worth £200,000 a year.’
    • ‘They went to a very reputable firm who said that my property is worth $470 million.’
    • ‘Mr Walker said his company had sold property worth £3.5 million in the city centre in the past year.’
    • ‘If you take out all the interest as income for 10 years, at the start of the decade your income would be worth £4,000 a year.’
    1. 1.1Having income or property amounting to a specified sum.
      ‘she is worth £10 million’
      • ‘So you are saying that a human life is worth a specific amount of money?’
      • ‘If you're worth that amount of money, you tell people what you really think.’
      • ‘Let's just put that into perspective for a second Chelsea are a team who are made up of several international and high value players worth millions.’
      • ‘Bielsa found he was worth one third of the original value due to the financial crisis.’
      • ‘To qualify as buyers residents have to be worth $5m or their local currency equivalent.’
      • ‘As long as you value who you are, you'll always be worth a zillion bucks.’
      • ‘The amount of money she was worth could feed a Third World nation with gastronomic delights.’
      • ‘Which is another controversial subject, how can a simple player be worth so much money?’
      • ‘The disenfranchised people were turned into a resource, worth only the market price of their labour power.’

  • 2predicative Sufficiently good, important, or interesting to be treated or regarded in the way specified.

    ‘the museums in the district are well worth a visit’
    ‘it's hard work juggling a job with a baby, but it's worth it’
    • ‘Their websites in themselves are quite interesting and worth a visit.’
    • ‘They only wanted one segment from New Zealand and had chosen me as the only character here interesting enough to be worth filming.’
    • ‘An ancient Jain Temple and a temple of Har-Gauri are important spots worth seeing.’
    • ‘His views on charity are also interesting and certainly worth a read.’
    • ‘Generally I think that people who are into sci-fi are interesting and worth listening to.’
    • ‘I have always regarded this newspaper as an important service and worth my money every semester.’
    • ‘It is worth noting how important Darwin's analysis was to the understanding of flowering plants.’
    • ‘I think he was unaware of physical discomfort, or regarded it as not worth bothering about.’
    • ‘Thus, a good therapist who knows how to treat depression well is worth seeing.’
    • ‘I think culture and the media is important; and is worth talking about and debating.’
    • ‘If you are interested in military history the Royal Armouries Museum is worth a visit and if you fancy a trip out of town, Castle Howard is within easy reach.’
    • ‘Ruth and I discovered some interesting things worth trying once our daylight hours start expanding again.’
    • ‘Any element of the taught course which the student finds interesting is worth exploring.’
    • ‘New Delhi's monuments are worth a brief visit, but they can't compete with the red boldness of historic Old Delhi.’
    • ‘The winners and runners up photos are on display in Mulligans Pharmacy, Ballybricken, and are really worth a visit.’
    • ‘Last year he spent time at an Italian village, photographing buildings and people, just because someone had mentioned it was worth a visit.’
    • ‘This medieval market town, now an affluent commuter adjunct to Newcastle, is worth a visit, if only to see the striking Hexham Abbey.’
    • ‘The Town Hall is worth a visit and one of the earliest examples of the typical building style of Bruges, which has become so famous.’
    • ‘There was a extensive break between servings, but the second course was certainly worth the wait.’
    • ‘All of Norm Geras's posts are worth reading, of course, but don't miss this one.’
    • ‘She remains convinced that values such as kindness and fairness are worth defending.’
    1. 2.1Used to suggest that the specified course of action may be advisable.
      ‘the company's service schemes are worth checking out’
      • ‘As the banks vary these extras from one year to the next, it is worth checking that cover is in place for driving on the continent.’
      • ‘Is it worth paying thousands of pounds for a small triangle of land?’
      • ‘Is it worth setting up an elaborate structure without knowing the commercial value of its intended output?’
      • ‘Of course, it is worth asking whether a cut in Superfund money would be so bad.’
      • ‘The number of people attending means it's worth dolling up the venue and using the best sound system.’
      • ‘It's worth comparing the status of motorists to that of smokers.’
      • ‘Most estate agents acknowledge a risk factor, but many suggest it is worth taking.’
      • ‘These treats could be worth franchising, but a Markt will probably not be opening at a mall near you anytime soon.’
      • ‘If you do, and you find this account worth publishing, then please edit and let me know what you have done.’
      • ‘But, it might just be worth opening an account to trade in these last couple of weeks.’
      • ‘So, if you've got an old or unreliable boiler, it might be worth getting it checked right now.’
      • ‘It may not be a disease, but it might be worth getting checked out by a doctor if it does not go away soon.’
      • ‘Again, we contacted only a comparatively small sample of hairdressers, so it may be worth checking a few yourself.’
      • ‘The function of the conference is to draw attention to the fact that this unique course is worth saving.’
      • ‘It'll be worth checking the weather forecast first, of course, just in case it's wall-to-wall cloud.’
      • ‘A group spokesman said many of the 90 trees were rare and worth protecting but that a council officer had suggested rarity was not a concern.’
      • ‘Purple Heron is a regular overshooting migrant to Britain and it is always worth checking any heron you see fly from a reed bed.’
      • ‘Still, there are some courses that are worth playing regularly and this is one of them.’
      • ‘This is a book you can trust, although it is always worth double checking the advice about chemicals, which can become outdated very quickly.’
      • ‘Also, if there is a new company opening up in the city then it's always worth checking them out in case they are good for a donation.’

noun

mass noun

  • 1The level at which someone or something deserves to be valued or rated.

    ‘they had to listen to every piece of gossip and judge its worth’
    • ‘Assess your job role now, compared to what it was when you started, so that you can put a value on your current worth.’
    • ‘There have been countless arguments over the years about the worth of level wind mechanisms on boat fishing reels.’
    • ‘A moral criterion is the measure we use for determining the value or worth of an action, principle, rule or attitude.’
    • ‘Unable to make a single decision you tend to measure your worth by the number of meetings you can schedule for yourself.’
    • ‘Clinch also advises working out your current net worth once a year so you can see if you are still on track to meet your financial goals.’
    • ‘If the financial bottom line was the only measure of the companies' worth, there would probably be no argument.’
    • ‘No calculations were provided to show what portion of the pension worth was the equalized value.’
    • ‘Chris Cawley said the value of the contract goes far beyond its monetary worth.’
    • ‘Self-esteem is the vision and feeling that you have about your own self worth.’
    • ‘I've been continuously looking for my own self worth through the words of someone else.’
    • ‘Give praise and positive feedback - your child measures her worth and achievements by what you think of her.’
    • ‘The ultimate measure of a brand's worth is its ability to sustain sales from loyal customers.’
    • ‘He believes there are creditors and shareholders who believe the club's worth cannot be summed up in a profit and loss account.’
    • ‘If each person has equal worth, the limitations on their achievement and contribution must be systematically broken down.’
    • ‘You get a 30 billion dollar net worth by taking a risk and starting a mail order computer company.’
    • ‘But the real battle was in midfield, where the collective worth of one unit, tended to cancel out the merits of the other.’
    • ‘I'd say that unless you judge a person's work by their status, you need some way of distinguishing worth.’
    • ‘Your argument seems to suggest that people everywhere measure worth primarily or exclusively in terms of monetary value.’
    • ‘Amis has always insisted that aesthetics are the sole standard for judging the worth of literature.’
    • ‘The real surprise is that there is a book's worth of information on the subject to merit publication.’
    1. 1.1An amount of a commodity equivalent to a specified sum of money.
      ‘he admitted stealing 10,000 pounds' worth of computer systems’
      • ‘In total, I had technically lost nearly four hundred dollars worth of money.’
      • ‘Printing up trillions of dollars' worth of new money was bound to have an effect.’
      • ‘There's more than half-a-million pounds' worth of prize money for these first three races.’
      • ‘The only way her husband can get the money is to provide lands of equivalent worth to Judith and her children.’
      • ‘A petrol station cashier was tied up by robbers who stole more than £10,000 worth of goods and money.’
      • ‘Masked raiders tied up a security guard and stole thousands of pounds' worth of computer equipment from Motorola, a court heard.’
      • ‘That is €1 billion worth of stock that has been, or will be, distributed tax - free.’
      • ‘Some HK $7.1 billion worth of apparel was exported in the first quarter of this year.’
      • ‘Four years and over £10m worth of squashed fruit sales later, critics could be reviewing their scepticism.’
      • ‘Lindsay alone accounted for some $300-million worth of sales over the past five years.’
      • ‘Twelve pence worth of leaf gold was an expensive amount.’
      • ‘Americans import six dollars worth of goods from China for every one dollar of US products sold in China.’
      • ‘Miss Creamer told the prison authorities she had injected £80 worth of heroin and drank up to six litres of cider or lager each day.’
      • ‘For every pound that the company spends, it only makes 10p worth of extra sales.’
      • ‘The whole of Kerala accounts for a cut-flower business worth more than Rs.3 crores a year.’
      • ‘And then I suppose I'd need several million dollars worth of equipment and raw materials.’
      • ‘At the same time it won an order to supply 1.5 billion euros worth of equipment for 3G licenses.’
      • ‘All the Plus edition models feature more than £3,000 worth of extra equipment.’
      value, financial value, monetary value, price, asking price, selling price, cost
      View synonyms
    2. 1.2High value or merit.
      ‘he is noble, and gains his position by showing his inner worth’
      • ‘Given the context of a man seemingly re-evaluating his sense of inner worth, how does he feel now about his music having been used in car adverts?’
      • ‘It takes years to build up your image and esteem to the point where the your inner sense of worth meets your outer sense.’
      • ‘We have always tried to make her see that the inner worth of people is what is important, not the expensive trappings on the outside.’
      • ‘Lesser shows were put into the same pot with retrospectives of quality, significance and worth.’
      • ‘James McLaren Showed his strength and worth in second-half break which inspired the best Scottish period of the game.’
      • ‘First, let me say that Otto Rehhagel has demonstrated the true worth of a genuinely gifted coach.’
      • ‘This year he has certainly proved his worth and talent ten times over.’
      • ‘The Greeks expressed a belief in the worth, significance, and dignity of the individual.’
      • ‘You may have always known his worth on an intellectual level, but now it becomes real to you.’
      • ‘We are asked and indeed expected to present ourselves to the world and each other as beings of value and worth.’
      • ‘No longer do you have to achieve something of worth or have a famous or incredibly rich relation.’
      • ‘We need to resist thinking that this proves our superior worth and attainment.’
      • ‘Personally, I didn't think a person's status as alive was dependent on moral worth.’
      • ‘You don't need a man to prove your self worth, " Waverly told her friend seriously.’
      • ‘No one becomes a decent human being without the love and caring of someone who truly values their worth.’
      • ‘Sure, comedy is tough: it requires actual laughter to prove its value and worth.’
      • ‘Regular keeper Lee Ward is on holiday for three weeks, but that should give an opportunity for new signing Mark Thornley to show his worth.’
      • ‘But in France the revolutionary spirit was still strong and the common people had gained a sense of their power and their worth.’
      • ‘There's no place in this existence where athletes feel the meaning, worth or value they did as athletes.’
      • ‘Good as they are for reading or study or the like, their real value or worth is in their being voiced in common prayer.’
      benefit, advantage, use, value, virtue, usefulness, utility, service, gain, profit, avail, validity, help, assistance, aid
      worthiness, merit, meritoriousness, credit, value, excellence, calibre, quality, stature, eminence, greatness, consequence, importance, significance, distinction, superiority
      View synonyms

  • 2The amount that could be achieved or produced in a specified time.

    ‘the companies have debts greater than two years' worth of their sales’
    • ‘I'm back from my vacation and just spent the last hour or two catching up on a week's worth of Power Line.’
    • ‘One even had a year's worth of transactions with account numbers from a cash machine in Illinois.’
    • ‘To get a decent sense of the trend, calculate at least two years' worth of quarterly inventory sales numbers.’
    • ‘He said his shops record up to five weeks' worth of sales during the Galway Races.’
    • ‘The second is that it may not be economic, as it would simply result in six days' worth of sales being spread over seven days.’
    • ‘He dialed for groceries, then walked to the mailbox pulling out several days' worth of bills and junk mail.’
    • ‘The Jammu region itself has been importing crores worth of fruits in these years.’
    • ‘As a rapper, he was responsible for $80 million worth of sales one year.’
    • ‘If you ask for, say, 300 baht worth, the meter will certainly show that amount as you hand over the cash.’
    • ‘So this is many, many times smaller than is needed just for one year's worth of pollution from one power station.’
    • ‘It takes about 15 minutes to identify and mark the ads in an hour's worth of programming.’
    • ‘For the Trust it marked not just a few months' worth of campaigning but represented the culmination of nearly half a century of tireless effort.’
    • ‘I mean, I don't think that you could say that you got half a million dollars' worth of sales from it.’
    • ‘The woman took away the gauze and a month's worth of meal money, and Dorothy took Wilma home.’
    • ‘At present rates of consumption there are 30 or 40 years' worth of oil known to be retrievable using present methods.’
    • ‘The corporation is testing a new system that will make an entire week's worth of output available at the click of a mouse.’
    • ‘I'm just a handful of films away from seeing the entire year's worth of quality product.’
    • ‘In fact, you're more likely to get around one year's worth of exported content.’
    • ‘I got my pay cheque last week for one week's worth of work.’
    • ‘If the idea saves money, how about a bonus equal to the first month's worth of savings?’

Phrases

    for all someone is worth
    informal

    • As energetically or enthusiastically as someone can.

      ‘he thumps the drums for all he's worth’
      • ‘Let him not worry if he cannot avoid killing the snake, but try for all he is worth to overcome the anger and ill-will of men by his patient endeavour as a first step towards cultivating universal love.’
      • ‘Just when things look darkest, there is a glimmer of hope, and the good guy decides he is going to fight for all he is worth to get what he wants.’
      • ‘Haircuts have always been something my son is extremely resistive to that he tends to fight for all he is worth.’
    for what it is worth

    • Used to emphasize that one is offering a suggestion or opinion without making a claim to its validity.

      ‘for what it's worth, she's very highly thought of abroad’
      • ‘My own opinion, for what it is worth, is that Ethel was almost certainly guilty.’
      • ‘My advice, for what it is worth, is that you should confine yourself to telling the story, entering the minds of the leading characters from time to time, and telling us what they are thinking and feeling.’
      • ‘I know there will be a good many people who will say I'm not right, but for what it is worth, I tell you I'm not wrong either.’
      • ‘So, for what it is worth, let me stress yet again: beta blockers significantly reduce mortality after acute myocardial infarction.’
      • ‘My own view, for what it is worth, is that where national governments fund health care they have a legitimate interest in properly funding research into treatment.’
      • ‘The standard argument for remedying or compensating for inequalities, for what it is worth, is a moral one.’
      • ‘Still, any form of prophesying requires a logical formula and, for what it is worth, here is mine.’
      • ‘It's a lot to get from one little book but that's my experience, for what it is worth.’
      • ‘My own view, for what it is worth, is that we should start not with law but with morality.’
      • ‘The plot, for what it is worth, is buried under a plethora of colour and movement.’

Origin

Old English w(e)orth (adjective and noun), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch waard and German wert.

Pronunciation

worth

/wəːθ/