Weigh up means to consider something carefully before deciding: options, risks, pros and cons. I'm weighing up two job offers. The scales are in your head. You can also weigh people up: she weighed him up at a glance means she looked at him and quickly formed an opinion.
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weigh up the options / advantages / risks; weigh them up
- We need to weigh up the travel time before choosing a venue.
- She weighed up both offers over the weekend.
- I know the advantages, but I haven't weighed up the drawbacks yet.
What changed
First versionWe need to weigh up between the two offers.
RevisionWe need to weigh up the two offers.
When we compare two things, we choose between them, so between slips in: weigh up between. But weigh up takes its object directly: weigh up the two offers. A pronoun goes inside: weigh them up.
Think over means consider something. Weigh up means compare the factors, as if putting them on scales. Weigh A against B means compare two sides: weigh the cost against the benefits.
Your turn
We have two options and need to weigh ___ carefully.
Show the answer
them up — The pronoun goes between weigh and up: weigh them up. It stands for the two options mentioned.
Describe a decision that needs several factors weighed up, and name at least two of them.
I'm weighing up the shorter commute and the higher rent before I choose a flat.
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