heavy industry

American  

[he-vee in-duh-stree] / ˈhɛ vi ˈɪn də stri /

noun

heavy industries plural

1. a manufacturing sector or activity that uses relatively large amounts of power, equipment, and space, typically having a significant environmental impact and producing raw materials or large-scale industrial goods such as steel, cement, or chemicals (contrasted with light industry).

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• heavy industrial
  adjective
• heavy-industry
  adjective

Inflected Forms

noun

• heavy industries
  plural

Example Sentences

Customers in heavy industry tend to be limited by labor supply, Biswas said, giving Samsara an opportunity to help them automate tasks that weren’t before.

From Barron's • Jun. 4, 2026

Sulfuric acid is used to produce phosphate fertilizers, and it is more prevalently used higher up the supply chain by heavy industry to make food, metals, paper, computer chips and clean water.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 11, 2026

An 85-mile stretch of Louisiana, running southeast from Baton Rouge, hosts such a concentration of heavy industry that it long ago garnered the nickname “Cancer Alley.”

From Salon • May 10, 2026

Samsung is South Korea's biggest chaebol, or family-owned business, with operations spanning electronics, heavy industry, construction and financial services.

From BBC • May 4, 2026

It was used in heavy industry to render other compounds like refined gasoline or polyvinyl chloride for plastic pipe production.

From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin