Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for heavy lifting. Search instead for heavy thinking.

heavy lifting

American  
[hev-ee lif-ting] / ˈhɛv i ˈlɪf tɪŋ /

noun

Informal.
  1. hard work.

    A team of researchers did the heavy lifting for the author.


Etymology

Origin of heavy lifting

First recorded in 1930–35

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:

The UK government said it would provide military helicopters for heavy lifting, along with support from stand-by battalions, after a major incident was declared at the weekend.

From BBC Jul. 28, 2026

Ultimately, earnings will have to do the heavy lifting.

From Barron's Jun. 18, 2026

Social Security was the dominant assumption in American retirement planning because the rest of the system — pensions, employer-funded healthcare, predictable inflation — did most of the heavy lifting.

From MarketWatch Jun. 10, 2026

This time, it was Korda — the 2025 runner-up — who did the heavy lifting.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 8, 2026

If you prepared a baklava with love, it could do the heavy lifting of an apology.

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training