weigh against
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weigh against (someone or something)
1. To compare the benefits and disadvantages of two things or options against one another in order to choose the best one. When deciding on a vacation, I always have to weigh how much I want to relax at the beach against how much I love exploring new, bustling cities. We'll weigh your proposal against the various other options open to us.
2. To have a negative effect or impact on someone's or something's reputation or evaluation. Your persistent tardiness will certainly weigh against you in your annual review. There are a number of factors weighing against the proposed legislation.
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Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
weigh something against something
to ponder something by balancing it against something. I weighed going to town against staying here and sleeping and I decided to stay here. When I weigh your suggestion against my own ideas, I realize that I must follow my own conscience.
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weigh against someone or something
Fig. to count against someone or something; [for some fact] to work against someone or something. I hope my many absences do not weigh against me on the final grade. This will weigh against you.
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McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
weigh against
v.
1. To compare something to something else in order to make a decision: When we weighed our decision against the alternatives, it was clearly the wrong choice.
2. To affect someone or something adversely in an evaluation: My poor test scores will weigh against me.
See also: weigh
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs. Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.