worth

1 of 4

noun

1
a
: monetary value
farmhouse and lands of little worth
b
: the equivalent of a specified amount or figure
a dollar's worth of gas
2
: the value of something measured by its qualities or by the esteem in which it is held
a literary heritage of great worth
3
a
: moral or personal value
trying to teach human worth
b
: merit, excellence
a field in which we have proved our worth
4

worth

2 of 4

preposition

1
a
: equal in value to
b
: having assets or income equal to
2
: deserving of
well worth the effort

worth

3 of 4

adjective

1
archaic : having monetary or material value
2
archaic : estimable

worth

4 of 4

verb

worthed; worthing; worths

intransitive verb

archaic
: become
usually used in the phrase woe worth
Phrases
worth one's salt
: of substantial or significant value or merit
for all one is worth
: to the fullest extent of one's value or ability see also for what it's worth

Examples of worth in a Sentence

Noun A diamond's worth is determined partly by its cut and clarity. The worth of the stocks has increased. The furniture was of little worth since it was in such bad condition. He has proved his worth to the team. The book has proved its worth by saving me hundreds of dollars. Preposition an actor worth several million dollars The corporation is worth billions of dollars. A carefully written cover letter and resume is worth the effort. It takes a long time to get a table at the restaurant, but the food is well worth the wait. The movie was good, but I didn't think it was worth all the fuss. Chicago is worth a visit. I think you'll really like it. Do you think the car is worth buying? It is worth noting that his father and mother are also doctors. This book is not worth reading. an idea well worth consideration
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Besides his Malibu and Atherton properties, Andreessen—whose net worth is currently estimated at $1.9 billion—also reportedly owns a $36 million vacant lot just outside Las Vegas. Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 22 Mar. 2024 The party claimed their bank accounts had been frozen by the department, leaving them unable to use some $20 million worth of funds. Sania Farooqui, CNN, 21 Mar. 2024 But if a clash over net worth comes down to numbers in bank accounts, the Republicans will have the bigger figures to answer for. To call Mr. Moreno a former auto dealer, for instance, is to miss the scale of his business and investment fortune. Jonathan Weisman, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2024 In the first and its 31 pitches’ worth of trouble, an inning that would mushroom into disaster for scores of pitchers — especially against these Dodgers — Musgrove wrestled things back to stable by allowing only one run. Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Mar. 2024 In total, officers found 24 shell casings throughout the building, and about $2,500 worth of damage was done to the building. Adrienne Davis, Journal Sentinel, 20 Mar. 2024 Scott is the fourth-richest woman in the world with a net worth of just under around $35 billion, according to Forbes. Simrin Singh, CBS News, 19 Mar. 2024 That comes from having a career’s worth of knowledge. Seija Rankin, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Mar. 2024 There’s a life’s worth of philosophical pursuit and artistry that went into finishing that album. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 18 Mar. 2024
Preposition
Aim to keep on hand at least three to six months’ worth of all nonnegotiable living expenses. Carry sufficient insurance. Dallas News, 30 Oct. 2022 Are common multivitamins worth the money?New study explores the benefits, harms. Dr. Michael Daignault, USA TODAY, 3 Nov. 2022 Both of those prop bets came through for bettors and there are several others for postseason team performance and individual awards worth keeping an eye on. Jason Hoffman, The Enquirer, 13 Jan. 2022 Finally, at a meeting in Zambia, where giraffes and zebras wandered the grounds of the hotel, the board members approved eight projects worth a total of $168 million. Washington Post, 10 Aug. 2021 In that case, there are plenty of Memorial Day furniture sales worth a browse. Ariel Scotti, Forbes, 28 May 2021 Pompeo also reported receiving two carpets worth a total of $19,400 from the president of Kazakhstan and the foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates. Matthew Lee, USA TODAY, 21 Apr. 2021
Adjective
Is Nico Greetham, as Marcos, someone who’s worth these modern-day Capulets capitulating? Chris Willman, Variety, 24 Mar. 2024 The last time the Powerball jackpot was won was in January, when a ticket in Michigan scored a prize worth $842.4 million. Sara Smart, CNN, 24 Mar. 2024 While assembly will require a couple of hours, the end result is totally worth it. Maya Polton, Parents, 23 Mar. 2024 What’s worth paying for? Peace, balance, and harmony. Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 23 Mar. 2024 All that was left worth salvaging was a charred canvas that Art had been working on as a tribute to his brother, along with a paintbrush. Jason Kersten, Rolling Stone, 23 Mar. 2024 However, that number must be the Powerball worth $4. Evan Frank, The Indianapolis Star, 23 Mar. 2024 These oh-so-Southern chicken and dumplings take under an hour to prepare, and the dish is certainly worth the flavorful, hearty result. Jenna Sims, Southern Living, 22 Mar. 2024 The Carolina Panthers are signing former Miami Dolphins guard Robert Hunt to a five-year deal worth $100 million. Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2024
Verb
The responses from 1,300 players across the league present an unusually revealing look inside how franchises worth billions of dollars are still rankled by problems—with vast gaps in quality from team to team. Andrew Beaton, WSJ, 2 Mar. 2023 Is the Simplehuman trash can worth it? Carolyn Forté, Good Housekeeping, 26 May 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'worth.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, going back to Old English weorþ, wyrth (strong neuter noun), going back to Germanic *werþa- (whence also Old Frisian werth, worth "value," Old Saxon werth "payment, price," Old High German werd "value, price," Old Icelandic verð, Gothic wairþ "price"), noun derivative from *werþa-, adjective, "of value" — more at worth entry 3

Preposition

Middle English, from worth worth entry 3

Adjective

Middle English, "having monetary value, valuable, having status, deserving, highborn, efficacious, strong," going back to Old English weorþ, wyrþ, worþ "having monetary value, valuable," going back to Germanic *werþa- (whence also Old Frisian werth "of value," Old Saxon werth "of value, worthy, dear," Old High German werd, wert "of value, valuable," Old Icelandic verðr "of value, worthy," Gothic wairþs "deserving"), of uncertain origin

Note: The Middle English adjective continues in part Old English wierðe, wyrðe "worthy, deserving," a ja-stem adjective from the same base. Welsh gwerth "worth, value, price" (whence gwerthu "to sell"), along with Middle Breton guerz, is perhaps an early loan from Old English.

Verb

Middle English worthen "to exist, be, come into existence, become, change, happen," going back to Old English weorþan, wurþan (class III strong verb) "to become, come to be, happen," going back to Germanic *werþan- (whence also Old Frisian wertha "to become, happen, arise," Old Saxon werthan, Old High German werdan, Old Icelandic verða, Gothic wairþan "to become"), going back to an Indo-European verbal base *u̯ert- "turn," whence also Latin vertō, vertere "to cause to revolve, turn, spin," vertor "(I) change direction, turn," Lithuanian verčiù, ver͂sti "to cause to turn," Sanskrit vártate "(it) turns, rolls, revolves"; with zero-grade ablaut Old Church Slavic vrǔštǫ, vrǔteti sę "to turn oneself"; with a causative stem *u̯ort- Old Church Slavic vraštǫ, vratiti "to make turn," Sanskrit vartáyati "(s/he) makes turn"; from an n-present Old Church Slavic obvrǔnǫti sę "to turn around," Tocharian B wärnāmane "turning"

Note: In Germanic the Indo-European base *u̯ert- "turn" developed the figurative sense "become, happen" (compare, in English, "the milk turned sour"), which has largely displaced the literal senses (but compare the suffix *-wearda- -ward entry 1).

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Preposition

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of worth was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near worth

Cite this Entry

“Worth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/worth. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

worth

1 of 2 preposition
1
a
: equal in value to
the vase is worth $200
b
: having possessions or income equal to
an actress worth millions
2
: deserving of
well worth the effort
3
: capable of
ran for all I was worth

worth

2 of 2 noun
1
a
: value in terms of money
furniture of little worth
b
: the equivalent of a certain amount or figure
five dollars worth of gas
2
: the value of something measured by its qualities
an experience of great worth
3

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