heavy
Americanadjective
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heavier,
comparative
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heaviest
superlative
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of great weight; hard to lift or carry.
a heavy load.
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of great amount, quantity, or size; extremely large; massive.
a heavy vote; a heavy snowfall.
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of great force, intensity, turbulence, etc..
a heavy sea.
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of more than the usual or average weight.
a heavy person; heavy freight.
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having much weight in proportion to bulk; being of high specific gravity.
a heavy metal.
- Synonyms:
- dense
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of major import; grave; serious.
a heavy offense.
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deep or intense; profound.
a heavy thinker;
heavy slumber.
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Military.
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thickly armed or equipped with guns of large size.
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(of guns) of the more powerful sizes.
heavy weapons.
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hard to bear; burdensome; harsh; oppressive.
heavy taxes.
- Synonyms:
- difficult, cumbersome, grievous, onerous, severe
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hard to cope with; trying; difficult.
a heavy task.
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being as indicated to an unusually great degree.
a heavy buyer.
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broad, thick, or coarse; not delicate.
heavy lines drawn in charcoal.
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weighted or laden.
air heavy with moisture.
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fraught; loaded; charged.
words heavy with meaning.
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depressed with trouble or sorrow; showing sorrow; sad.
a heavy heart.
- Synonyms:
- downhearted, downcast, despondent, dejected, mournful, gloomy
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without vivacity or interest; ponderous; dull.
a heavy style.
- Synonyms:
- boring, burdensome, wearisome, tiresome, tedious
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slow in movement or action; clumsy.
a heavy walk.
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loud and deep; sonorous.
a heavy sound.
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(of the sky) overcast or cloudy.
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exceptionally dense in substance; insufficiently raised or leavened; thick.
heavy doughnuts.
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(of food) not easily digested.
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being in a state of advanced pregnancy; nearing childbirth.
heavy with child;
heavy with young.
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having a large capacity, capable of doing rough work, or having a large output.
a heavy truck.
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producing or refining basic materials, as steel or coal, used in manufacturing.
heavy industry.
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sober, serious, or somber.
a heavy part in a drama.
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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.
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Slang.
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very good; excellent.
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very serious or important.
a really heavy relationship.
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Phonetics. (of a syllable)
noun
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heavies
plural
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a somber or ennobled theatrical role or character.
Iago is the heavy in Othello.
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the theatrical role of a villain.
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an actor who plays a theatrical heavy.
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Military. a gun of great weight or large caliber.
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Slang. a very important or influential person.
a reception for government heavies.
adverb
adjective
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of comparatively great weight
a heavy stone
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having a relatively high density
lead is a heavy metal
-
great in yield, quality, or quantity
heavy rain
heavy traffic
-
great or considerable
heavy emphasis
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hard to bear, accomplish, or fulfil
heavy demands
-
sad or dejected in spirit or mood
heavy at heart
-
coarse or broad
a heavy line
heavy features
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(of soil) having a high clay content; cloggy
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solid or fat
heavy legs
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(of an industry) engaged in the large-scale complex manufacture of capital goods or extraction of raw materials Compare light 2
-
serious; grave
-
military
-
armed or equipped with large weapons, armour, etc
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(of guns, etc) of a large and powerful type
-
-
(of a syllable) having stress or accentuation Compare light 2
-
dull and uninteresting
a heavy style
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prodigious
a heavy drinker
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(of cakes, bread, etc) insufficiently leavened
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deep and loud
a heavy thud
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dramatic and powerful; grandiose
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not immediately comprehensible or appealing
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slang
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unpleasant or tedious
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wonderful
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(of rock music) having a powerful beat; hard
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weighted; burdened
heavy with child
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clumsy and slow
heavy going
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permeating
a heavy smell
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cloudy or overcast, esp threatening rain
heavy skies
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not easily digestible
a heavy meal
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(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
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horse racing (of the going on a racecourse) soft and muddy
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slang using, or prepared to use, violence or brutality
the heavy mob
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informal using large quantities of
this car is heavy on petrol
noun
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a villainous role
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an actor who plays such a part
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military
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a large fleet unit, esp an aircraft carrier or battleship
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a large calibre or weighty piece of artillery
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informal (usually plural) a serious newspaper
the Sunday heavies
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informal a heavyweight boxer, wrestler, etc
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slang a man hired to threaten violence or deter others by his presence
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strong bitter beer
adverb
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
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heavinessnoun
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overheavinessnoun
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unheavinessnoun
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overheavyadjective
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ultraheavyadjective
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unheavyadjective
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heavilyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Adjectives
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.
Vocabulary lists containing heavy
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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.
See Examples For:
Its success propelled the L.A. group from an emerging heavy rock act into an international headliner capable of filling stadiums.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
Hurricane Simon lashed Mexico's Pacific coast with severe winds and heavy rain on Monday, as it threatens to make landfall this week, according to the US National Hurricane Center.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
Seaver said his aunt had told him she wanted to “rest in a beautiful bed of plush cotton” after spending a lifetime wearing heavy rhinestones.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026
Authorities in Delhi have announced heavy restrictions on traffic and on entry and exit at some key metro stations.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
He was so heavy his legs sometimes collapsed under him, so we put him on a diet and that is when I began to see and understand temper in dogs.
From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen
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
In the 18-track release, Malone sings alongside country music heavies including Morgan Wallen, Tim McGraw, Dolly Parton and Blake Shelton.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 19, 2024
De Niro certainly has made a boatload of money playing heavies and knows what he’s talking about.
From Salon ● May 30, 2024
Big Time showed green and went past the heavies.
From "145th Street: Short Stories" by Walter Dean Myers
At Fountains Abbey, this could include increasing drainage capacity and gutters to cope with heavier rainfall.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
For example, performing 20 to 25 repetitions with a lighter weight can produce similar improvements to lifting a heavier weight ten times, provided the effort is high.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026
What remained uncertain was how quickly those heavier elements escaped the first galaxies and spread into the wider universe.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026
Diesel is heavier than gasoline and contains more energy per liter, and diesel engines tend to be more energy efficient.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
I went up to the kitchen and got it for him, except I made it a good deal heavier on the soda than I knew he wanted me to.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
Although the heaviest rain is over, according to meteorologists with the National Weather Service, people across the Southwest can expect spotty rain and high tides for the next couple of days.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026
At nearly 13 feet long and more than 1,500 pounds, Yamaha’s new CrossWave is the largest and heaviest production personal watercraft on the market.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
Strength training does not just mean lifting the heaviest weights in the gym.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026
Japan—have come under the heaviest pressure in recent months.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
"The Nazis have succeeded in one of the heaviest series of blows yet claimed against British shipping."
From "The Boy Who Dared" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
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.
