heavy

American  

[hev-ee] / ˈhɛv i /

adjective

• heavier,
  comparative
• heaviest
  superlative

1. of great weight; hard to lift or carry.

   a heavy load.

   Synonyms:

   weighty, massive, ponderous

2. of great amount, quantity, or size; extremely large; massive.

   a heavy vote; a heavy snowfall.

3. of great force, intensity, turbulence, etc..

   a heavy sea.

4. of more than the usual or average weight.

   a heavy person; heavy freight.

5. having much weight in proportion to bulk; being of high specific gravity.

   a heavy metal.

   Synonyms:

   dense

6. of major import; grave; serious.

   a heavy offense.

7. deep or intense; profound.

   a heavy thinker;

   heavy slumber.

8. Military.

   1. thickly armed or equipped with guns of large size.

   2. (of guns) of the more powerful sizes.

      heavy weapons.

9. hard to bear; burdensome; harsh; oppressive.

   heavy taxes.

   Synonyms:

   difficult, cumbersome, grievous, onerous, severe

10. hard to cope with; trying; difficult.

    a heavy task.

11. being as indicated to an unusually great degree.

    a heavy buyer.

12. broad, thick, or coarse; not delicate.

    heavy lines drawn in charcoal.

13. weighted or laden.

    air heavy with moisture.

14. fraught; loaded; charged.

    words heavy with meaning.

15. depressed with trouble or sorrow; showing sorrow; sad.

    a heavy heart.

    Synonyms:

    downhearted, downcast, despondent, dejected, mournful, gloomy

16. without vivacity or interest; ponderous; dull.

    a heavy style.

    Synonyms:

    boring, burdensome, wearisome, tiresome, tedious

17. slow in movement or action; clumsy.

    a heavy walk.

    Synonyms:

    lumbering, sluggish

18. loud and deep; sonorous.

    a heavy sound.

19. (of the sky) overcast or cloudy.

    Synonyms:

    gloomy, lowering

20. exceptionally dense in substance; insufficiently raised or leavened; thick.

    heavy doughnuts.

21. (of food) not easily digested.

22. being in a state of advanced pregnancy; nearing childbirth.

    heavy with child;

    heavy with young.

23. having a large capacity, capable of doing rough work, or having a large output.

    a heavy truck.

24. producing or refining basic materials, as steel or coal, used in manufacturing.

    heavy industry.

25. sober, serious, or somber.

    a heavy part in a drama.

26. Chemistry. of or relating to an isotope of greater than normal atomic weight, as heavy hydrogen or heavy oxygen, or to a compound containing such an element, as heavy water.

27. Slang.

    1. very good; excellent.

    2. very serious or important.

       a really heavy relationship.

28. Phonetics. (of a syllable)

    1. stressed.

    2. long.

---

noun

• heavies
  plural

1. a somber or ennobled theatrical role or character.

   Iago is the heavy in Othello.

2. the theatrical role of a villain.

3. an actor who plays a theatrical heavy.

4. Military. a gun of great weight or large caliber.

5. Slang. a very important or influential person.

   a reception for government heavies.

adverb

1. heavily.

heavy British  

/ ˈhɛvɪ /

adjective

1. of comparatively great weight

   a heavy stone

2. having a relatively high density

   lead is a heavy metal

3. great in yield, quality, or quantity

   heavy rain

   heavy traffic

4. great or considerable

   heavy emphasis

5. hard to bear, accomplish, or fulfil

   heavy demands

6. sad or dejected in spirit or mood

   heavy at heart

7. coarse or broad

   a heavy line

   heavy features

8. (of soil) having a high clay content; cloggy

9. solid or fat

   heavy legs

10. (of an industry) engaged in the large-scale complex manufacture of capital goods or extraction of raw materials Compare light 2

11. serious; grave

12. military

    1. armed or equipped with large weapons, armour, etc

    2. (of guns, etc) of a large and powerful type

13. (of a syllable) having stress or accentuation Compare light 2

14. dull and uninteresting

    a heavy style

15. prodigious

    a heavy drinker

16. (of cakes, bread, etc) insufficiently leavened

17. deep and loud

    a heavy thud

18. 1. dramatic and powerful; grandiose

    2. not immediately comprehensible or appealing

19. slang

    1. unpleasant or tedious

    2. wonderful

    3. (of rock music) having a powerful beat; hard

20. weighted; burdened

    heavy with child

21. clumsy and slow

    heavy going

22. permeating

    a heavy smell

23. cloudy or overcast, esp threatening rain

    heavy skies

24. not easily digestible

    a heavy meal

25. (of an element or compound) being or containing an isotope with greater atomic weight than that of the naturally occurring element

    heavy hydrogen

    heavy water

26. horse racing (of the going on a racecourse) soft and muddy

27. slang using, or prepared to use, violence or brutality

    the heavy mob

28. informal using large quantities of

    this car is heavy on petrol

---

noun

1. 1. a villainous role

   2. an actor who plays such a part

2. military

   1. a large fleet unit, esp an aircraft carrier or battleship

   2. a large calibre or weighty piece of artillery

3. informal (usually plural) a serious newspaper

   the Sunday heavies

4. informal a heavyweight boxer, wrestler, etc

5. slang a man hired to threaten violence or deter others by his presence

6. strong bitter beer

adverb

1. 1. in a heavy manner; heavily

      time hangs heavy

   2. ( in combination )

      heavy-laden

heavy Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing heavy

• hot and heavy
• make heavy weather of
• play the heavy
• time hangs heavy

---

Synonym Usage

Heavy, momentous, weighty refer to anything having a considerable amount of figurative weight. Heavy suggests the carrying of a figurative burden: words heavy with menace. Momentous emphasizes the idea of great and usually serious consequences: a momentous occasion, statement. Weighty, seldom used literally, refers to something heavy with importance, often concerned with public affairs, which may require deliberation and careful judgment: a weighty matter, problem.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• heaviness
  noun
• overheaviness
  noun
• unheaviness
  noun
• overheavy
  adjective
• ultraheavy
  adjective
• unheavy
  adjective
• heavily
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• heavies
  plural

Adjectives

• heavier
  comparative
• heaviest
  superlative

Etymology

Origin of heavy

First recorded before 900; Middle English hevi, Old English hefig, equivalent to hef(e) “weight” + -ig; cf. heave -y ¹

Explanation

Something that's heavy weighs a lot, either physically or emotionally. It's hard to lift a heavy backpack, and it's hard to handle a heavy topic, like the meaning of life. Bulky, substantial things are heavy, and you can also describe people as heavy, especially if they're big-boned and carry a lot of weight. Thick or strong things are sometimes called heavy as well: "The apple tree was heavy with blossoms, but when the heavy wind started up, they all blew away." Heavy breathing is fast and labored, and heavy food is just too rich or filling.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

heavy heavies heavier heaviest

Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday - for England and Wales - will stay changeable, with further heavy showers, longer spells of rain and a risk of thunderstorms once again.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

While economists anticipated a heavy hit to growth following the outbreak of war in the Middle East, the U.K. economy has so far proved resilient.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

It’s been a pretty heavy day of news.

From Slate ● Aug. 27, 2026

Currently, there is heavy call buying, and the put-call ratio is at the bottom of the chart.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026

One morning after a hard night’s rain we arrived to find the ground sodden and heavy.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

I didn’t see the seals of approval from America’s trio of book-club heavies — Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, and Jenna Bush Hager — on its cover.

From Salon ● Jun. 25, 2026

The men’s Huskies are heavies, too, though a slight underdog Saturday against No. 3 seed Illinois.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 2026

He named a long list of industry heavies and bands before adding: "To the homeless and the powerless and the forgotten, we always say thank you."

From Barron's ● Nov. 9, 2025

If you want to contend in the Six Nations then you better bring as many heavies as you can find.

From BBC ● Jan. 31, 2025

Big Time showed green and went past the heavies.

From "145th Street: Short Stories" by Walter Dean Myers

The complexity of what they’re playing is unbelievable, and they do that on the fly, and the statement within it is still far, far heavier.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

"The spending machine is still running, but the bill is getting heavier," said Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management.

From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026

In such conditions, heavier showers can lead to flash flooding due to the ground being very hard and compacted, making it more water repellent and increasing run off.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

But even at Burke’s, things change: Demand is up for kayaks, down for the metal canoes, which are heavier.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

Giant hydrangeas lean over, unable to hold high their giant blooms of pink, white, and lavender — now even heavier with the morning dew — from filling the spaces lining the path.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

Japan—have come under the heaviest pressure in recent months.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

On Wednesday, the greatest chance of scattered heavy and thundery showers will affect the north of the UK, with Northern Ireland, parts of Scotland and northern England likely to see some of the heaviest downpours.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

Within the index, energy and tech carried the heaviest second-quarter expectations: Analysts see energy-sector profits more than doubling from a year earlier, while tech earnings are projected to climb 61%.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026

It is still unclear whether moderate chili pepper consumption carries the same risks observed among the heaviest consumers, or whether there is a threshold above which risk begins to increase.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026

It had some of the heaviest concentration of Mormons in the state and, by extension, in the world.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

Related Words

• awkward
• big
• bulky
• burdensome
• considerable
• cumbersome
• excessive
• fat
• hefty
• huge
• large
• massive
• substantial
• unwieldy
• weighty