The long-term benefits of this project outweighed its high initial costs.

outweighed 是动词 outweigh 的过去式。outweigh 由前缀 out-（表示"超过"）和动词 weigh（称重、权衡）组成，字面意思是"在重量上超过"，引申为"在重要性或价值上超过"。