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.
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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
- overheavily adverb
- unheavily adverb
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.
The firm has benefited from stowing away profits since the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine and doesn’t rely as heavily on debt to fund its trades as some rivals.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026
The heavily armed security team rode in a pickup truck ahead of the taxi, disappearing after the taxi left the airport area.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026
Those off-pitch issues are said to have been resolved, but Scotland will rely heavily on star players such as Evie Gallagher and Francesca McGhie.
From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026
The analysts favor companies with a “demonstrated innovation edge” that have driven product growth without relying heavily on price increases.
From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026
The Austrian army had been routed when the Italians, heavily reinforced by British and French divisions, finally went on the offensive.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
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.
