heavy lifting
Americannoun
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.
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
The policy was called “twin pillars,” meaning Saudi Arabia and Iran would do the heavy lifting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026
If you prepared a baklava with love, it could do the heavy lifting of an apology.
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
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.
