heavy industry

American  

[he-vee in-duh-stree] / ˈhɛ vi ˈɪn də stri /

noun

heavy industries plural

1. a manufacturing sector or activity that uses relatively large amounts of power, equipment, and space, typically having a significant environmental impact and producing raw materials or large-scale industrial goods such as steel, cement, or chemicals (contrasted with light industry).

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• heavy-industry
  adjective
• heavy industrial
  adjective

Inflected Forms

noun

• heavy industries
  plural

Example Sentences

Samsara’s focus on connecting physical operations makes it less vulnerable to AI disruption, serving busy heavy industry customers.

From Barron's • Jun. 4, 2026

An 85-mile stretch of Louisiana, running southeast from Baton Rouge, hosts such a concentration of heavy industry that it long ago garnered the nickname “Cancer Alley.”

From Salon • May 10, 2026

Samsung is South Korea's biggest chaebol, or family-owned business, with operations spanning electronics, heavy industry, construction and financial services.

From BBC • May 4, 2026

Making its production cleaner and more competitive with fossil based hydrogen could accelerate its use not only in heavy industry, but also as a way to store excess renewable energy.

From Science Daily • Feb. 26, 2026

This territory contained a quarter of Russia’s population, a third of its agricultural land, and about half of its heavy industry.

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman