Wade and weighed are two commonly confused words that are pronounced in the same way but are spelled differently and have different meanings, which makes them homophones. We will examine the different meanings of the homophonic words wade and weighed, the word origins of the terms, and some examples of their English usage in sentences.
Wade means to walk through water or another liquid substance like oil or mud. Wading involves walking; at least one foot is on the ground at any time, one is not swimming. The verb wade is also used in a figurative sense, to mean to go through something in a laborious manner. Occasionally, wade is used as a noun to mean the act of walking through water or going through something in a laborious manner. Related words are wades, waded, wading. The word wade is derived from Old English word wadan, which means to go forward.
Weighed is the past tense of the verb weigh, which means 1.) to measure how heavy an object is 2.) to be as heavy as a certain amount 3.) to compare ideas or contemplate facts. Related words are weigh, weighs, weighing, weight. The word weighed is derived from the Old English word wæg, which means to discover how heavy something is.
Examples
In the wake of demands across the country to either defund law enforcement agencies or change their practices, Concord’s police chief revealed this week he’s thinking about setting up a mental health response team to defuse volatile situations officers shouldn’t wade into alone. (The East Bay Times)
Working in small groups, students did not hesitate to wade thigh-high into the waters of South Lido Beach to collect samples to test for water quality measures, particularly the presence of microplastics. (SRQ Magazine)
Cleaners were spotted stacking dozens of bags by the pond as they filled it with dead fish and it weighed about 500kg [0.5 tonne]. (The Daily Star)
A term limits discussion kicked off in Arlington City Hall and online Thursday as committee members weighed other Texas cities’ term limits and presented their opening thoughts about the contentious topic. (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
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