heavily
Americanadverb
-
with a great weight or burden.
a heavily loaded wagon.
-
in a manner suggestive of carrying a great weight; ponderously; lumberingly.
He walked heavily across the room.
-
in an oppressive manner.
Cares weigh heavily upon him.
-
to suffer heavily.
-
densely; thickly.
heavily wooded.
-
in large amounts or in great quantities; very much.
It rained heavily on Tuesday.
-
without animation or vigor; in a dull manner; sluggishly.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of heavily
First recorded before 900; Middle English hevyly, Old English hefiglīce; equivalent to heavy + -ly
Explanation
Anything that happens heavily is weighty, extensive, or labored. A car falling off its jack will crash heavily to the ground, and if you are a new runner, you'll be breathing heavily after the first mile. Sometimes the adverb heavily simply describes the action of something heavy — like kids' feet pounding heavily up the stairs, or an airplane landing heavily on the runway. There's also the "large amount" or "a lot" meaning, like when rain falls heavily or a director is heavily influenced by the cartoons of her childhood. Breathing heavily, on the other hand, means "with effort."
Vocabulary lists containing heavily
"Too Young to Drive?" and "Rules of the Road"
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Spelling Practice 1, Unit 5
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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.
Tokyo, Seoul and Taipei -- which are heavily weighted with AI-linked tech giants -- led the advances.
From Barron's ● Nov. 9, 2026
However, new research suggests that the success of such a mission could depend heavily on which side of the asteroid receives the blast.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 8, 2026
Russia’s big plan for 2026 was to encircle the remaining cities of Ukraine’s Donetsk region, including Sloviansk, Kramatorsk and Kostiantynivka, which Ukraine has heavily fortified.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2026
The Australian, who, like Borthwick, had been heavily backed by the RFU, was eventually forced out after a November 2022 defeat by South Africa was met by a chorus of jeers from the Twickenham stands.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
Cook clambered in heavily, almost pulling Razi back into the water in the process.
From "The Boy Who Met a Whale" by Nizrana Farook
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
