Meaning & use
weather
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountable
The daily conditions in the air outside, such as sun, rain, wind, heat, and cold.
Grammar: Uncountable: the weather is nice; no a weather.
Patterns
- the weather in a place
- in bad weather
The weather was lovely all weekend.
We canceled the picnic because of bad weather.
What's the weather like in Spain?
verbtransitive
To come through a difficult time or situation without being badly harmed.
Grammar: Takes an object: weather the storm.
Patterns
- weather the storm
- weather a crisis
The firm weathered the crisis well.
She weathered the criticism calmly.
Small shops weathered the recession.
verbtransitive or intransitive
To change or wear down after long exposure to sun, wind, and rain.
Grammar: Both: wood weathers; the sun weathered the sign.
Patterns
- weather badly/well
The old fence has weathered to gray.
Wind and rain weathered the stone.
Teak weathers beautifully outdoors.
Word forms
| third person singular | weathers |
|---|---|
| past tense | weathered |
| past participle | weathered |
| -ing form | weathering |
Common combinations
- bad weather
- Bad weather delayed the flight.
- weather forecast
- Check the weather forecast.
- weather the storm
- They weathered the storm together.
- under the weather
- I'm feeling under the weather today.
- weather conditions
- Weather conditions were poor.
Synonyms and how they differ
- climate
- Climate is the typical weather of a region over many years, not today's conditions.
- conditions
- Conditions is vaguer and needs a word like weather before it.
- survive
- Survive as a verb is plainer than weather and does not suggest a storm.
- endure
- Endure stresses putting up with hardship for a long time.
Word family
- weathered adjective
- worn by exposure to the elements
- weathering noun
- breaking down of rock by weather
- weatherman noun
- a broadcaster giving weather forecasts
- weatherproof adjective
- able to resist rain and wind
Commonly confused: weather or whether? weather or climate?
weather vs whether
Whether introduces a choice and sounds the same as weather, but it has nothing to do with the sky.
weather vs climate
Climate is long-term, weather is short-term.
Practice
Which word is correct? 'I don't know ____ it will rain tomorrow.'
Choose one answer.
Whether introduces an uncertainty. Weather means the conditions in the sky.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “weather”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.