heavy metal
Americannoun
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heavy metals
plural
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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
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
They said these often contained heavy metal salts or nitrosamines that can leach into the environment once the balloon degrades.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
Rabanne, which has built an entire brand and silhouette around heavy metal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
"There are bacteria that can metabolically utilize the heavy metal, uranium, which is toxic for humans," says Dr. Evelyn Krawczyk-Bärsch, scientist in HZDR's Terrestrial Microbiology research group and co-author of the study.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 9, 2026
Wallace Laboratories in El Segundo, Babcock Laboratories in Riverside, Waypoint Analytical in Anaheim and other labs offer more detailed soil tests that measure heavy metal particles in addition to other fertility factors.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
We hurried to the other side of the room and pushed against a heavy metal fire door.
From "Shelter (Book One): A Mickey Bolitar Novel" by Harlan Coben
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.
