pulled one's weight
Carried fair load
To pull one's weight is to contribute a fair share to a collective effort.
The phrase comes from rowing, where each person must pull equally on the oars.
Someone who doesn't pull their weight lets others carry the burden: Everyone on the team pulls their weight except Marcus.
The negative form is far more common—the phrase typically appears when someone isn't doing enough.
- hard workSustained strenuous effort
- work ethicDedication to doing one's job
- cooperationJoint action toward shared aims
- dependabilityConsistent trustworthy nature
- accountabilityObligation for one's actions
do one's part · fair share · interpersonal relationships · load · carry the load · industriousness · reliability · mutual support · balance · synergy · collective action · all hands on deck · group cohesion · perseverance · conscientiousness · shared goals · social roles · partnership
pulled one's weightcoasted
Moved on momentum
freeloaded · slacked off · dead weight · mooched · free rider
pulled one's weightdropped the ball
Failed at crucial moment
unreliable · no-show · absentee · derelict · shirker
pulled one's weightslacked
Reduced one's effort
loafed · lazed about · idled · dogged it · copped out
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