Definition of “worth” - English Dictionary

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“worth” in English

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worthadjective

uk ​ /wɜːθ/ us ​ /wɝːθ/

worth adjective (MONEY)

B1 having a particular value, especially in money:

Our house is worth £200,000.
Heroin worth about $5 million was seized.

› informal having a particular amount of money:

She must be worth at least half a million.
be worth it

› to be of reasonable or good value for the price:

Four days' car hire costs £150, which is well worth it for the freedom it gives you.

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Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

worth adjective (IMPORTANCE)

be worth sth

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B1 to be important or interesting enough to receive a particular action:

I think this matter is worth our attention.
When you're in Reykjavík, the National Museum is worth a visit.
be worth having/doing sth

› to be important or useful to have or do:

There's nothing worth reading in this newspaper.
If you are a young, inexperienced driver, it is worth having comprehensive insurance.
It's worth remembering that prices go up in February.
worth it

› enjoyable enough or producing enough advantages to make the necessary effort, risk, pain, etc. seem acceptable:

It was a long climb to the top of the hill, but it was worth it for the view from the top.
Don't tire yourself out, Geri, it's really not worth it.
After the plastic surgery I had two black eyes and my face was very swollen. But I knew it would be worth it.
Forget him, sweetheart, - he's just not worth it.

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

Grammar

Worth or worthwhile?Worth and worthwhile are adjectives. …

Idiom(s)

be worth your/its weight in gold
be worth your while
for all you are worth
for what it's worth
if it/a thing is worth doing, it's worth doing well
make sth/it worth your while
not worth the paper sth is printed/written on
what's it worth (to you)?
worth your salt

worthnoun

uk ​ /wɜːθ/ us ​ /wɝːθ/

worth noun (MONEY)

› [ U ] the amount of money that something can be sold for; value:

The estimated worth of the plastics and petrochemical industry is about $640 billion.
£20, $100, etc. worth of sth

› the amount of something that you could buy for £20, $100, etc.:

$4 million worth of souvenirs and gift items have been produced for the event.

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worth noun (IMPORTANCE)

› [ U ] the importance or usefulness of something or someone:

He felt as though he had no worth.
She has proved her worth on numerous occasions.
The study proved that women were paid less than men holding jobs of comparable worth.

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worth noun (AMOUNT)

a month's, a year's, etc. worth of sth

› an amount of something that will last a month, a year, etc. or that takes a month, a year, etc. to do:

a month's worth of grocery shopping
I've done three hour's worth of work this morning.

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

Idiom(s)

get your money's worth

(Definition of “worth” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

“worth” in American English

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worthnoun [ U ]

us ​ /wɜrθ/

worth noun [ U ] (MONEY)

› the amount of money that something can be sold for:

The estimated worth of her jewels alone is about $30 million.

› A particular amount of money’s worth of something is the amount of money that it costs:

$20 worth of gasoline

worth noun [ U ] (IMPORTANCE)

› the importance or usefulness of something or someone:

a sense of personal worth
Some people are modest to the point of not realizing their true worth.

worth noun [ U ] (AMOUNT)

› an amount of something that will last a stated period of time or that takes a stated amount of time to do:

We got a week’s worth of diapers at the supermarket.
When the computer crashed, we lost six month’s worth of work.

Idiom(s)

worth it
worth your while

worthadjective [ not gradable ]

us ​ /wɜrθ/

worth adjective [ not gradable ] (IMPORTANCE)

› important or useful enough to have or do:

There are only two things worth reading in this newspaper – the TV listings and the sports page.
I don’t think it’s worth talking about any more.

worth adjective [ not gradable ] (MONEY)

› having a value in money of:

They’re asking $10,000 for the car, but I don’t think it’s worth that much.
It is an expensive restaurant, but for special occasions it’s worth it (= the value of what you get is equal to the money spent).

› If a person is worth a particular amount of money, the person has that amount or owns things that would cost that amount:

She must be worth at least half a million.

(Definition of “worth” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

“worth” in Business English

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worthadjective [ not before noun ]

uk ​ /wɜːθ/ us ​

› having a particular value:

The shares are worth 262p.
Tax cuts worth $10 billion should give businesses a boost.

› owning a particular amount of money:

As owner of almost 25% of the company, she's worth an estimated $10 billion.
be worth it

› to be of reasonable or good value for the price:

He says the $349 cost was well worth it.

› enjoyable enough or producing enough advantages to make the necessary effort, risk, etc. seem acceptable:

We believe the extra time and attention to detail is worth it.
It's been hard work but worth it.
be worth doing

› useful, important, or good enough to be a suitable reward for the money or time spent or the effort made:

Many income funds are worth considering since the total return is often better than from a growth fund.
It is worth keeping an eye on rates over the coming weeks.
be worth sth

› to be important or interesting enough to be a reason for doing something:

worth a look/try This investment could be risky but it's worth a try.

worthnoun [ U ]

uk ​ /wɜːθ/ us ​

› the value of something:

They were forced to sell their shares for one-tenth of their worth.

› the amount of something that you can buy with a particular amount of money:

$10/€50/£300, etc. worth of sth She bought $200 worth of clothes.

See also

comparable worth
net worth

(Definition of “worth” from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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worth

Education is not just about information and skills gathering, but also personal development, in the shape, for example, of a healthy sense of self-worth.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
Is it worth the cost?
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
If there were to be a real shortage of crude oil, even 120 days' worth of it would bring only minimal relief.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
Even greater safety is, in any case, worth working towards, and that we will achieve by standardising training and in-service training – with high standards, of course.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
If it were a case of the supervisory authorities’ access to these systems helping to prevent crime in this area, it would be worth thinking about.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
I believe that the only instruments worth applying are those that bring effective development and not merely transitional solutions to the problems of the developing world.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
I believe it is worth emphasising the need to include clauses on human rights and democracy in the sectoral agreements we enter into concerning agriculture, fisheries and textiles for example.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
We all know that this only represents 30% of delays, which admittedly are worth combating, but which essentially depend on military constraints.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
I think that is worth pointing out.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
On the other hand, reconciling practical measures with specific national characteristics would seem to be an avenue worth exploring if we want to achieve positive practical results.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
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