worth

1 of 4

noun

ˈwərth 

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

: wealth, riches

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

Synonyms

Noun

• account
• merit
• valuation
• value

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

The median homeowner in America has a net worth of $400,000 as of 2022, the most recent data available, while the median renter’s net worth is just $10,400, according to the report. —Samantha Delouya, CNN, 16 Dec. 2024

Polo therefore comes at a time when Hollywood is still waiting for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry to prove their worth as TV producers outside their own royal story. —Raja Krishnamoorthi, Newsweek, 16 Dec. 2024

Preposition

There’s still the longest road (now trade route) worth two victory points, and a cleanest environment card replaces the largest army card from the original. —Simon Hill, WIRED, 18 Aug. 2024

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

Adjective

In March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic was approaching, Senators Richard Burr and Kelly Loeffler were accused of buying and selling millions of dollars worth of stock after being briefed on the virus. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024

But expressions of dismay are worth inspection, or at least a sense of proportion. —Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, 18 Dec. 2024

Verb

Elliott has accumulated a stake that could worth as much as $2 billion, CNBC has previously reported. —Rohan Goswami, CNBC, 1 Aug. 2024

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

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

Phrases Containing worth

• a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
• an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
• a picture is worth a thousand words
• comparable worth
• for all one is worth
• for all someone is worth
• for what it's worth
• get his money's worth
• make it worth your while
• not worth a damn
• not worth a darn
• not worth the candle
• not worth the paper it's written/printed on
• personal worth
• self-worth
• sense of self-worth
• someone's money's worth
• take something for what it's worth
• two cents' worth
• worth a go
• worth a tinker's damn
• worth every penny
• worth one's salt
• worth one's weight in gold
• worth someone's while

Kids Definition

worth

1 of 2 preposition

ˈwərth 

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

: excellence sense 1