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
Derived 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.
She is carrying on the legacy of Philadelphia as not just a great music city, but a city rich in history and heavily influenced by those that came before them.
From Salon • Jun. 5, 2026
The Central City Assn., relying heavily on funding from Airbnb, spent about $1.6 million on efforts to reelect Bass.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2026
Not every proposed data center will be built, but having Arizona’s grid too heavily weighted toward one sector would be irresponsible, Gallego said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026
Meta Platforms is heavily investing in AI, with plans for consumer and business AI agents and $600 billion in capital spending.
From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026
Reality fell heavily on my shoulders, and the warm safety of the chair and the blanket and the fire vanished as though someone had thrown me back in that icy shower.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
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.
