heavy metal
Americannoun
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any metal with a specific gravity of 5.0 or greater, especially one that is toxic to organisms, as lead, mercury, copper, and cadmium.
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aggressive and heavily amplified rock music, commonly performed by groups that wear spectacular or bizarre costumes.
noun
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a type of rock music characterized by a strong beat and amplified instrumental effects, sometimes with violent, or nihilistic lyrics
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( as modifier )
a heavy-metal band
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a metal with a high specific gravity
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military large guns or shot
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of heavy metal
1860–65, for literal sense
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
US heavy metal band Metallica have teamed up with the Welsh Blood Service ahead of their UK tour this summer, to encourage fans to donate blood and plasma.
From BBC • May 26, 2026
Plumes of smoke and ash then deposited the heavy metal across the burn zone.
From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026
Finland has only claimed the top honour in the competition once when heavy metal band Lordi's monster-themed act won the hearts of the audience.
From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026
“Ramones” still sounds subversive and dark but also playful—more Mad magazine meets Alice Cooper than heavy metal.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026
We were herded along a corridor and through the heavy metal door where I had last seen Harry de Vries.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
