weigh on

cause someone ongoing worry or feel like a heavy burden

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What does "weigh on sb" mean?

To weigh on someone means that something — a worry, a secret, a responsibility, a loss — sits heavily in their mind or conscience over a sustained period. The key idea is duration: it is not a sudden shock but a persistent, nagging burden that refuses to go away. The subject is almost always something abstract rather than physical, such as guilt, uncertainty, an unresolved decision, or a painful memory. In personal contexts, it captures the psychological experience of being quietly oppressed by something one cannot easily resolve or forget. In journalism and financial writing, it extends naturally to collective entities: uncertainty weighing on markets, or a scandal weighing on a government's credibility.

Examples

How to use it

abstract noun + weigh on + person

The most fundamental pattern: an abstract burden is the subject and the affected person follows 'on'.

The guilt from that conversation weighed on her for months.

abstract noun + weigh on + someone's mind / conscience

These collocations are extremely natural and specify where the burden is felt — mentally or morally.

The decision to leave without saying goodbye weighed on his conscience for years.

abstract noun + weigh on + pronoun

Pronouns work smoothly as the object — the person being burdened simply replaces their name.

She tried to stay focused, but the uncertainty weighed on her throughout the trial.

abstract noun + weigh on + collective entity

In journalistic and economic writing, the object can be a group, institution, or market rather than an individual.

Persistent inflation continues to weigh on consumer confidence across the region.

abstract noun + have weighed on + person

The present perfect emphasises that the burden has accumulated or persisted up to the present moment.

The unresolved dispute has weighed on the team ever since the project fell apart.

Common Collocations

weigh on someone's mindweigh on someone's conscienceweigh on the marketsweigh on her thoughtsweigh on investorsweigh on his shoulders

Common Mistakes

Attempting to separate the verb

Unlike some phrasal verbs, 'weigh on' cannot be separated under any circumstances. The object must always follow 'on', never come between 'weigh' and 'on'.

✗ The secret was weighing her on terribly.
✓ The secret was weighing on her terribly.
Confusing 'weigh on' with 'weigh up'

'Weigh up' means to deliberate carefully over options before making a choice; 'weigh on' means to cause ongoing emotional or mental burden. These are unrelated in meaning despite sharing the same verb.

✗ She spent the evening weighing on her two job offers.
✓ She spent the evening weighing up her two job offers. / The pressure of the choice weighed on her all evening.
Using the present continuous for persistent burden

Because 'weigh on' describes a sustained state rather than an activity in progress at a specific moment, the present simple or present perfect typically sounds more natural than the continuous form.

✗ That memory is weighing on me every day.
✓ That memory weighs on me every day. / That memory has been weighing on me.

Usage

This phrasal verb is formal and more common in writing than in everyday speech; in conversation, native speakers more often say 'it's been bothering me' or 'I can't get it out of my head'. It is also very frequent in financial journalism, where abstract nouns like 'uncertainty' or 'inflation' are the subject.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can 'weigh on' be used in the passive, like 'he was weighed on by guilt'?

No — 'weigh on' does not work in the passive voice. The construction resists this transformation because the person is experiencing a burden rather than having something done to them in the usual passivisable sense. Always keep the abstract burden as the subject: 'Guilt weighed on him', not the other way around.

Does 'weigh on' only describe personal, emotional feelings?

Not at all. While it is very common in personal, psychological contexts — guilt, grief, secrets — it is also extremely frequent in financial and political journalism. In those contexts, subjects like 'rising costs', 'political uncertainty', or 'weak demand' can weigh on markets, investors, or a government. The emotional intensity is lower in those uses, but the core idea of persistent, depressing pressure remains.

What kinds of things can be the subject of 'weigh on'?

The subject is almost always an abstract noun: guilt, a secret, a memory, a responsibility, a loss, uncertainty, unresolved conflict, or a difficult decision. Physical objects are not used as subjects in this sense. The abstraction is central to the meaning — it is always something intangible pressing down on someone.

Is 'weigh on' appropriate in formal writing?

Yes — in fact, this is one of the contexts where it is most at home. It appears frequently in literary prose, serious journalism, and analytical writing. In casual everyday speech, native speakers are more likely to say 'it's been bothering me' or 'I can't get it out of my head', but 'weigh on' is an entirely natural and sophisticated choice in writing.

Is there a difference between 'weigh on someone' and 'weigh on someone's mind'?

The meaning is essentially the same, but adding 'mind' or 'conscience' makes the location of the burden explicit — mental or moral. 'The verdict weighed on the jury' and 'the verdict weighed on the jury's minds' are both natural; the second simply makes the psychological dimension more specific. 'Conscience' is preferred when there is an element of guilt or moral responsibility.

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