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
But for Adidas, the breakup with Ye and his sneaker brand was a public relations and financial disaster that left the company with 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion) worth of unsold inventory in various stages of development. Lila MacLellan, Fortune, 26 Apr. 2024 The true value of solar energy generation should be self-sustaining and unsubsidized, otherwise real worth is inaccurate and misleading. Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Apr. 2024 Lucas, who turns 80 on May 14, has a net worth of $5.5 billion, according to Forbes’ 2024 list. Bob Goldsborough, The Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2024 How much is TikTok worth in 2024? TikTok is likely worth $100 billion, according to Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives. Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 25 Apr. 2024 Given a large enough earthquake, as in 1964, that buildup of thousands of years’ worth of silt can shake loose. Christian Elliott, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Apr. 2024 The Lobby Bar is sumptuous, with a bar top that accommodates a Parthenon’s worth of marble, and banquettes that are cozy and velvety. Gary Shteyngart, The New Yorker, 24 Apr. 2024 District data shows that students who used the program at all averaged a year’s worth of academic growth in a school year. Silas Allen, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Apr. 2024 Today, her personal net worth stands at a reported $180 million. James McClain, Robb Report, 24 Apr. 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
Trump is still sitting on a paper holding worth more than $2 billion, but his outside investors, many of whom are small investors who bought at or near the top, have been been taken to the abattoir. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2024 As with most of the sleeping beauties, handing the dress—even delicately—hastens its decay; Bolton made the decision that the risk was worth the opportunity to gather detailed information about what the Worth dress, in its prime, had been. Nathan Heller, Vogue, 17 Apr. 2024 There are many budget-friendly sarongs on this list, but this one could be worth the splurge. Barbara Bellesi Zito, Travel + Leisure, 16 Apr. 2024 Meghan’s friends certainly want consumers to think that paying any price would be worth having something associated with the globally famous American duchess. Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2024 Both made clear to Francesca that art was worth situating at the center of life. Chris Wiley, The New Yorker, 16 Apr. 2024 The question for the Dolphins is which player is worth moving into the top half of the first round? Daniel Oyefusi, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2024 Of course, Beyoncé is Beyoncé, but the fact that Cowboy Carter’s second week pulled ahead of Delete’s first — despite the latter initially leading predictions – speaks to how quickly consumers decided Cole’s latest offering wasn’t worth their time. Angel Diaz, Billboard, 16 Apr. 2024 The pump is also quite expensive, but if your other option is giving up pumping or breastfeeding, the cost may be worth it. Simone Scully, Parents, 16 Apr. 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 30 Apr. 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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