heavier; heaviest
1
a
: having great weight
also
: characterized by mass or weight
how heavy is it?
b
: having a high specific gravity : having great weight in proportion to bulk
Lead and gold are heavy metals.
c(1)
of an isotope
: having or being atoms of greater than normal mass for that element
heavy carbons
(2)
of a chemical compound
: containing heavy isotopes
heavy ammonia
2
: difficult to bear
specifically
: causing or characterized by severe pain or suffering
a heavy sorrow
3
: of weighty import : serious
heavy consequences
4
: characterized by depth or intensity : profound
a heavy silence
6
7
: dulled with weariness : drowsy
eyes were growing heavy
8
: greater in quantity or quality than the average of its kind or class: such as
a
: of unusually large size or amount
a heavy turnout
b
: of great force
heavy seas
c
: threatening to rain or snow
a heavy sky
heavy clouds
d(1)
: impeding motion
heavy traffic
(2)
: full of clay and inclined to hold water
heavy soil
e
: coming as if from a depth : loud
heavy breathing
g
: oppressive, overwhelming
heavy perfume
heavy weather
rule with a heavy hand
j
: immoderate
a heavy smoker
k
: more powerful than usual for its kind
a heavy cavalry
a heavy cruiser
l
: of large capacity or output
a heavy pump
9
a
: very rich and hard to digest
heavy desserts
b
: not properly raised or leavened
heavy bread
10
: producing goods (such as coal, steel, or chemicals) used in the production of other goods
heavy industry
11
a
: having stress (see stress entry 1 sense 5a)
a heavy rhythm
—used especially of syllables in accentual verse
b
: being the strongest degree of stress in speech
the heavy stress on the first syllable of basketball
12
: relating to theatrical parts of a grave or somber nature
playing heavy roles
13
: possessing a high degree or a great deal of something specified : long
heavy on ideas
heaviness
noun
: to a great or overwhelming degree
weighed heavy on her mind
: with or as if with great weight : in a heavy manner : heavily
Clouds hung heavy in the sky.
plural heavies
Synonyms
Adjective
Noun
Examples of heavy in a Sentence
Adjective
“Is that box too heavy for you to lift?” “No, it's not very heavy.”
The truck was carrying a heavy load.
The man was six feet tall with a heavy build.
Turnout for the election is expected to be heavy.
We got caught in heavy traffic.
Heavy rains caused flooding in the area.
She was wearing sunglasses and heavy makeup.
The storm caused heavy damage to the building.
The company is facing heavy losses this quarter.
a day of heavy fighting
Adverb
The smoke hung heavy in the air.
Noun
He played the heavy in film after film.
The conference will be attended by several media heavies.
They have become one of the industry heavies.
Recent Examples on the Web
Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2024
The head was the first Stephenson ever designed, requiring smart engineering since the toilet and required water supply are two of the capsule’s heaviest components.
—Ben Oliver, Robb Report, 11 Apr. 2024
Ukraine woke Thursday after another night of heavy Russian strikes on its energy infrastructure.
—Christian Edwards, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024
But the Biden administration has its own responsibility for this situation, a responsibility that is nearly as heavy.
—Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2024
But at the moment, the biggest challenges facing the industry are massive labor shortages and high employee turnover, thanks to tough job conditions and heavy competition from companies like Amazon.
—Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2024
Size being equal, yes, TSS pellets are significantly heavier than lead pellets.
—Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 10 Apr. 2024
But across the Central Coast, much heavier rainfall is predicted, with the possibility of up to 3 inches, most falling Saturday.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Climate change and heavier trucks Many of the country’s older bridges are vulnerable to extreme weather events, such as earthquakes, hurricanes or elevated heat.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 30 Mar. 2024
Dalton Ross, EW.com, 6 Sep. 2023
The rain should arrive from the west during the morning, perhaps starting with a touch of snow or sleet, then come down heavy at times during the afternoon into evening before exiting to the east by around midnight.
—Molly Robey, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2024
This nearly two-hour recording from Chicago’s Podlasie starts out heavy—the introductory track sounds like attack planes on the horizon—and just gets heavier from there.
—Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 22 Aug. 2023
All of the Spark products lean heavy into customization.
—Spin Contributor, Spin, 18 Aug. 2023
Forecasts show the smoke, which has hung heavy over New York, Chicago, Detroit and Washington, D.C., will ease Friday afternoon and through the weekend.
—Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY, 30 June 2023
Her chaperone for the night, to overcome the heavy quiet, asked her: Who was Jessica Rogers?
—Thallman, oregonlive, 26 Jan. 2023
James looked heavy-legged, and Davis struggled to find rhythm early before both arrived in the third quarter to tighten the score after the Clippers built a 24-point lead.
—Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2023
Family members of those killed in last year’s massacre at a Uvalde elementary school were heavy-hearted Monday as news spread of another shooting, at a private Christian school in Tennessee.
—Cayla Harris, San Antonio Express-News, 27 Mar. 2023
E.r. Pulgar, Rolling Stone, 25 Jan. 2024
Entertainment heavies were in good cheer after the SAG-AFTRA strike concluded in November, celebrating the holidays by heading to exotic as well as familiar destinations.
—Beth Landman, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Jan. 2024
Well, there’s essentially two groups within the rare element family, lights and heavies.
—IEEE Spectrum, 7 Dec. 2023
But the federation isn’t playing the heavy here, though.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 22 Dec. 2023
Chaplin presented as a small man, and the Tramp reads as small, an effect that Chaplin reinforced by casting much bigger actors as the heavies in his pictures.
—Louis Menand, The New Yorker, 13 Nov. 2023
Sign up In the Georgia indictment, the cast of characters tilts inevitably toward scoundrels: Trump, Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Mark Meadows, et al., along with less-familiar heavies like Stephen Cliffgard Lee, Harrison William Prescott Floyd, and Trevian C. Kutti.
—Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 15 Aug. 2023
Crawford has never fought in that heavy of a division.
—Jorge Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2023
Fittingly, the wine line list skews heavy from the region, and includes an easy-sipping Pinot Noir by the glass from local urban winery Boedecker Cellars.
—Katie Chang, Forbes, 19 Apr. 2023
Adjective
Meteorologists anticipate heavy rain and high winds to continue lashing the Great Lakes and Northeast regions Friday and Saturday, the weather service said.
—Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2024
The head was the first Stephenson ever designed, requiring smart engineering since the toilet and required water supply are two of the capsule’s heaviest components.
—Ben Oliver, Robb Report, 11 Apr. 2024
Ukraine woke Thursday after another night of heavy Russian strikes on its energy infrastructure.
—Christian Edwards, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024
But the Biden administration has its own responsibility for this situation, a responsibility that is nearly as heavy.
—Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2024
But at the moment, the biggest challenges facing the industry are massive labor shortages and high employee turnover, thanks to tough job conditions and heavy competition from companies like Amazon.
—Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2024
Size being equal, yes, TSS pellets are significantly heavier than lead pellets.
—Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 10 Apr. 2024
But across the Central Coast, much heavier rainfall is predicted, with the possibility of up to 3 inches, most falling Saturday.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Climate change and heavier trucks Many of the country’s older bridges are vulnerable to extreme weather events, such as earthquakes, hurricanes or elevated heat.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 30 Mar. 2024
Adverb
Finishing a Spartan race was a big moment for me, being a guy who used to start breathing heavy after two flights of stairs.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 6 Sep. 2023
The rain should arrive from the west during the morning, perhaps starting with a touch of snow or sleet, then come down heavy at times during the afternoon into evening before exiting to the east by around midnight.
—Molly Robey, Washington Post, 7 Jan. 2024
This nearly two-hour recording from Chicago’s Podlasie starts out heavy—the introductory track sounds like attack planes on the horizon—and just gets heavier from there.
—Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 22 Aug. 2023
All of the Spark products lean heavy into customization.
—Spin Contributor, Spin, 18 Aug. 2023
Forecasts show the smoke, which has hung heavy over New York, Chicago, Detroit and Washington, D.C., will ease Friday afternoon and through the weekend.
—Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY, 30 June 2023
Her chaperone for the night, to overcome the heavy quiet, asked her: Who was Jessica Rogers?
—Thallman, oregonlive, 26 Jan. 2023
James looked heavy-legged, and Davis struggled to find rhythm early before both arrived in the third quarter to tighten the score after the Clippers built a 24-point lead.
—Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2023
Family members of those killed in last year’s massacre at a Uvalde elementary school were heavy-hearted Monday as news spread of another shooting, at a private Christian school in Tennessee.
—Cayla Harris, San Antonio Express-News, 27 Mar. 2023
Noun
Your album really deals in that light treatment of the heavy.
—E.r. Pulgar, Rolling Stone, 25 Jan. 2024
Entertainment heavies were in good cheer after the SAG-AFTRA strike concluded in November, celebrating the holidays by heading to exotic as well as familiar destinations.
—Beth Landman, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Jan. 2024
Well, there’s essentially two groups within the rare element family, lights and heavies.
—IEEE Spectrum, 7 Dec. 2023
But the federation isn’t playing the heavy here, though.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 22 Dec. 2023
Chaplin presented as a small man, and the Tramp reads as small, an effect that Chaplin reinforced by casting much bigger actors as the heavies in his pictures.
—Louis Menand, The New Yorker, 13 Nov. 2023
Sign up In the Georgia indictment, the cast of characters tilts inevitably toward scoundrels: Trump, Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Mark Meadows, et al., along with less-familiar heavies like Stephen Cliffgard Lee, Harrison William Prescott Floyd, and Trevian C. Kutti.
—Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 15 Aug. 2023
Crawford has never fought in that heavy of a division.
—Jorge Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2023
Fittingly, the wine line list skews heavy from the region, and includes an easy-sipping Pinot Noir by the glass from local urban winery Boedecker Cellars.
—Katie Chang, Forbes, 19 Apr. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'heavy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Adjective and Adverb
Middle English hevy, from Old English hefig; akin to Old High German hebīc heavy, Old English hebban to lift — more at heave entry 1
First Known Use
Adjective
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Adverb
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above
Noun
1897, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of heavy was
before the 12th century
Phrases Containing heavy
Dictionary Entries Near heavy
Cite this Entry
“Heavy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heavy. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
heavy
1 of 3 adjective
heavier; heaviest
1
a
: having great weight or greater than usual weight
b
: weighty in proportion to bulk : having a high density
gold is a heavy metal
c
: having or being atoms of greater than normal mass
heavy isotopes
2
: very hard to deal with : grievous
a heavy sorrow
3
: of weighty importance : serious
words heavy with meaning
4
: lacking life, gaiety, or charm : dull
5
6
: greater in volume, force, or power than the average
heavy traffic
heavy seas
heavy infantry
7
: overcast entry 2
a heavy sky
8
: laborious sense 2, labored
heavy breathing
9
: using or consuming much
a heavy eater
10
: rich and not easily digested
heavy desserts
11
: producing goods (as coal or steel) used in the production of other goods
heavy industry
heavily
adverb
ˈhev-ə-lē
heaviness
noun
ˈhev-ē-nəs
heavy
2 of 3 adverb
: in a heavy manner : heavily
time hung heavy on their hands
heavy
3 of 3 noun
plural heavies
2
a
: a theatrical role or an actor representing a dignified or impressive person
b
More from Merriam-Webster on heavy
Nglish: Translation of heavy for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of heavy for Arabic Speakers
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