weather

1.nounA1

Definition

what the air outside is like at a given place and time — for example whether it is hot or cold, sunny or cloudy, calm or windy, dry or rainy.

Example

Christopher checks the weather on his phone before he cycles to school each morning.

collocation: check the weather

The wedding was moved indoors because of the terrible weather on Saturday.

collocation: terrible / bad weather

Common collocations

check the weather
weather forecast
good / bad weather
in this weather

Synonyms

climate
long-term pattern over years, not the day's conditions
conditions
broader; can mean weather plus road, sea, or sports conditions
elements
literary; usually means harsh weather such as wind and rain

Grammar Patterns

the weather

in [adjective] weather

Usage Note

Almost always uncountable and used with the definite article: 'the weather', not 'a weather' or 'weathers'. To talk about a specific kind, use an adjective + 'weather' (hot weather, stormy weather).

Common Mistakes

The weathers are nice today.

The weather is nice today.

'weather' is uncountable; use a singular verb and no plural -s.

How is weather in Tokyo?

How is the weather in Tokyo?

'weather' takes 'the' when you mean the conditions in a known place.

Idioms

under the weather

idiom

feeling slightly unwell, often with a cold or a stomach bug, but not seriously ill.

Reuben stayed home from the office on Tuesday because he was feeling under the weather.

make heavy weather of something

idiom

to treat a task as harder or more complicated than it really is, often by complaining or being slow.

Élise made heavy weather of writing a one-page summary that should have taken twenty minutes.

keep a weather eye on

idiom

to watch a person or situation carefully so that you can act quickly if a problem starts.

The lifeguard kept a weather eye on the children paddling near the rocks.

in all weathers

idiom

no matter whether the weather is good or bad — sun, rain, snow, or wind.

The postman in Amani's neighbourhood delivers letters in all weathers.

1.verbtransitiveC1

Definition

to come through a hard time — such as a financial crisis, an illness, or a public scandal — without being destroyed or giving up.

Example

The small bookshop weathered the pandemic by selling online and packing orders by hand.

collocation: weather a crisis / pandemic

Tamar's family weathered two difficult years after her father lost his job.

Common collocations

weather the storm
weather a crisis
weather the recession
weather a scandal

Synonyms

endure
more formal; emphasises patient suffering rather than emerging intact
survive
focuses on staying alive or in business; less of a sense of active coping
ride out
informal; very close in meaning, often interchangeable with 'weather the storm'

Antonyms

succumb
to give in to a difficulty rather than survive it

Grammar Patterns

weather + [difficulty noun]

weather the storm

Usage Note

Object is almost always a difficulty: storm, crisis, recession, scandal, illness. The fixed phrase 'weather the storm' is by far the most common form, used both literally and figuratively for any tough period.

Common Mistakes

She weathered her exam easily.

She passed her exam easily.

'weather' implies surviving a hardship, not finishing an ordinary task.

The team weathered against the recession.

The team weathered the recession.

'weather' takes a direct object; do not add 'against'.

2.verbtransitive / intransitiveC1

Definition

of wood, stone, paint, or metal: to slowly change colour, surface, or shape because sun, wind, or rain has been acting on it for a long time.

Example

The wooden fence around Hyun's garden has weathered to a soft silver-grey.

intransitive: weather to [colour]

Years of salty sea air had weathered the iron gate at the harbour entrance.

passive: be weathered by [element]

Common collocations

weather to [colour]
weathered timber
weathered stone
naturally weathered

Synonyms

age
broader; covers any kind of getting older, not just outdoor exposure
erode
stronger; means actually wearing away, not just changing colour
fade
narrower; refers mainly to colour loss, not surface change

Grammar Patterns

[material] weathers (to [colour])

be weathered by [sun/wind/rain]

Usage Note

Subject is a material or surface (wood, stone, leather, paint). Often appears in the past participle 'weathered' as an adjective: 'a weathered face', 'weathered timbers'. Distinguish from sense 1 — that takes a difficulty as object, this one takes a physical thing.

Common Mistakes

The rain weathered the storm last night.

The rain weathered the wooden bench over the years.

sense 2 needs a physical surface and a long timeframe, not a single storm.

His skin was weathered from the office air-conditioning.

His skin was weathered from years of working at sea.

'weather' implies long exposure to outdoor elements, not indoor air.

Word family

weathered
adjectiveC1
weathering
nounC1
weatherproof
adjectiveB2
weatherman
nounB2
weathervane
nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All five verbs describe getting through something hard, but they differ in tone and focus. 'Weather' is the most vivid and is collocation-bound — you mainly weather a storm, crisis, recession, or scandal, and it suggests you came out the other side with your structure intact. 'Endure' is more formal and emphasises patient suffering over time, often without a positive outcome (she endured years of pain). 'Survive' is the plainest and focuses simply on staying alive or in business: 'the company survived' tells us nothing about how. 'Ride out' is informal and almost interchangeable with 'weather the storm' in business and political writing. 'Withstand' suggests resisting force at the moment of impact (the bridge withstood the earthquake), whereas 'weather' covers the long aftermath. Compare: 'The bookshop weathered the recession' (came through it changed but alive) vs 'The bookshop survived the recession' (still open, no further claim).

weather ↗endure ↗survive ↗ride out ↗withstand ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

weather forecast
weather conditions
weather report
weather warning

Adverbs

Phrases

whatever the weather
weather permitting
a change in the weather

Prepositions

in [the] weather
through the storm

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The noun 'weather' comes from Old English 'weder', meaning air, sky, or storm, and is related to Dutch 'weer' and German 'Wetter'. Its older Germanic root is linked to words for wind and blowing. The verb senses developed naturally from the noun: by the 1500s 'weather' was used both for a ship coming safely through a storm and for wood or stone being changed by the elements. The figurative 'weather a crisis' grew out of the sailing image of riding out bad weather at sea.

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weather

weather — noun

1. what the air outside is like at a given place and time — for example whether it

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

under the weather

make heavy weather of something

keep a weather eye on

in all weathers

weather — verb

1. to come through a hard time — such as a financial crisis, an illness, or a publi

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

2. of wood, stone, paint, or metal: to slowly change colour, surface, or shape beca

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

weather — adjective

1. in sailing, describing the side of a boat that the wind is blowing against, as o

Grammar Patterns

Usage Note

Common Mistakes

Word family

Synonym discussion

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

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