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-industry
  adjective
• heavy industrial
  adjective

Inflected Forms

noun

• heavy industries
  plural

Example Sentences

These motorized supports were once reserved for military, heavy industry and mobility rehabilitation.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 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

Since the 1980s the economy has grown less weighted in heavy industry, and more weighted in technology, which has brought structurally higher margins.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 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