worth

1 preposition

1 be worth to have a value in money: How much is the ring worth? | be worth -10/$500 etc: The picture is worth about two thousand pounds. | be worth a lot informal (=be worth a lot of money) | be worth nothing/not be worth anything: I don't think my stereo is worth anything | be worth a fortune informal (=be extremely valuable): Now they've found oil the land must be worth a fortune.

2 be worth millions/a fortune informal to be extremely rich: The man who founded CNN must be worth a fortune.

3 be worth doing/reading/finding etc to be something that will be useful and helpful if you do it or read it etc: a film worth seeing | It may be worth putting an advertisement in the local paper. | be worth it: I didn't write to Louise, because I didn't think it was worth it.

4 it's worth doing sth used to say that someone should give the time or money needed to do something, because they will gain something useful: It's worth taking your time when you visit the cathedral. | it's worth the time/effort: It's worth all the hard work you put in when you see so many happy children. | it's worth it: Have a medical every year, it's worth it. | it's not worth it: Don't get angry, it's not worth it. | it's well worth doing sth/it: It's well worth getting there an hour early, if you want a good seat.

5 it's worth your/sb's while spoken used to say that someone should give the time or money needed to do something, because they will gain something useful: it's worth your/sb's while to do sth: It would be worth your while to talk to the editor. | I don't sell French books, it's not worth my while. (=I would not make any money)

6 make it worth sb's while spoken to offer someone money if they agree to do something for you, especially something dishonest: Look, if you forget about the whole thing I'll make it worth your while.

7 what's it worth? spoken humorous used to ask someone how they will reward you if you do something for them

8 for what it's worth spoken used to say that you are not sure of the value or usefulness of what you are saying: My suggestion - for what it's worth - is that we buy a bigger car.

9 for all you are/he is etc worth with as much effort as possible: Tom kept pulling away at the rope for all he was worth.

10 worth his/her salt doing their job well or deserving respect: No translator worth his salt would rely on a bilingual dictionary.

11 worth its/his/her weight in gold very useful or valuable

USAGE NOTE: WORTH WORD CHOICE: worth, value Worth is common only after the verb to be and after words for amounts of something, as in: $100 worth of damage | a week's worth of newspapers. As a noun it means the same as value but is a little old-fashioned and literary: the value of life (NOT the worth). In an old story you might read: a pearl of great worth GRAMMAR be worth is often followed by the -ing form of a verb: Is it worth running such a risk? (NOT ...worth to run...).| Niagara Falls is worth seeing (NOT ...to be seen). be worth while may also be followed by the -ing form of a verb, or the infinitive: It'll be well worth while you coming/for you to come (NOT ...worth while you come). 2 noun

1 (U) value and importance, or value in money: Eliot's poems are of more lasting worth than the plays. | The balance sheet will not show the current worth of the company. | ten pounds'/$500 etc worth of sth (=an amount of something worth ten pounds or $500): Dick cashed about a thousand pounds' worth of travellers cheques. | $4,000 worth of camera equipment

2 ten minutes'/a week's etc worth of sth something that takes ten minutes or a week to happen, do, or use: a quarter of an hour's worth of music | There's about a week's worth of work left.