heavy

American  

[hev-ee] / ˈhɛv i /

adjective

• heavier,
  comparative
• heaviest
  superlative

1. of great weight; hard to lift or carry.

   a heavy load.

   Synonyms:

   weighty, massive, ponderous

2. of great amount, quantity, or size; extremely large; massive.

   a heavy vote; a heavy snowfall.

3. of great force, intensity, turbulence, etc..

   a heavy sea.

4. of more than the usual or average weight.

   a heavy person; heavy freight.

5. having much weight in proportion to bulk; being of high specific gravity.

   a heavy metal.

   Synonyms:

   dense

6. of major import; grave; serious.

   a heavy offense.

7. deep or intense; profound.

   a heavy thinker;

   heavy slumber.

8. Military.

   1. thickly armed or equipped with guns of large size.

   2. (of guns) of the more powerful sizes.

      heavy weapons.

9. hard to bear; burdensome; harsh; oppressive.

   heavy taxes.

   Synonyms:

   difficult, cumbersome, grievous, onerous, severe

10. hard to cope with; trying; difficult.

    a heavy task.

11. being as indicated to an unusually great degree.

    a heavy buyer.

12. broad, thick, or coarse; not delicate.

    heavy lines drawn in charcoal.

13. weighted or laden.

    air heavy with moisture.

14. fraught; loaded; charged.

    words heavy with meaning.

15. depressed with trouble or sorrow; showing sorrow; sad.

    a heavy heart.

    Synonyms:

    downhearted, downcast, despondent, dejected, mournful, gloomy

16. without vivacity or interest; ponderous; dull.

    a heavy style.

    Synonyms:

    boring, burdensome, wearisome, tiresome, tedious

17. slow in movement or action; clumsy.

    a heavy walk.

    Synonyms:

    lumbering, sluggish

18. loud and deep; sonorous.

    a heavy sound.

19. (of the sky) overcast or cloudy.

    Synonyms:

    gloomy, lowering

20. exceptionally dense in substance; insufficiently raised or leavened; thick.

    heavy doughnuts.

21. (of food) not easily digested.

22. being in a state of advanced pregnancy; nearing childbirth.

    heavy with child;

    heavy with young.

23. having a large capacity, capable of doing rough work, or having a large output.

    a heavy truck.

24. producing or refining basic materials, as steel or coal, used in manufacturing.

    heavy industry.

25. sober, serious, or somber.

    a heavy part in a drama.

26. 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.

27. Slang.

    1. very good; excellent.

    2. very serious or important.

       a really heavy relationship.

28. Phonetics. (of a syllable)

    1. stressed.

    2. long.

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noun

• heavies
  plural

1. a somber or ennobled theatrical role or character.

   Iago is the heavy in Othello.

2. the theatrical role of a villain.

3. an actor who plays a theatrical heavy.

4. Military. a gun of great weight or large caliber.

5. Slang. a very important or influential person.

   a reception for government heavies.

adverb

1. heavily.

heavy British  

/ ˈhɛvɪ /

adjective

1. of comparatively great weight

   a heavy stone

2. having a relatively high density

   lead is a heavy metal

3. great in yield, quality, or quantity

   heavy rain

   heavy traffic

4. great or considerable

   heavy emphasis

5. hard to bear, accomplish, or fulfil

   heavy demands

6. sad or dejected in spirit or mood

   heavy at heart

7. coarse or broad

   a heavy line

   heavy features

8. (of soil) having a high clay content; cloggy

9. solid or fat

   heavy legs

10. (of an industry) engaged in the large-scale complex manufacture of capital goods or extraction of raw materials Compare light 2

11. serious; grave

12. military

    1. armed or equipped with large weapons, armour, etc

    2. (of guns, etc) of a large and powerful type

13. (of a syllable) having stress or accentuation Compare light 2

14. dull and uninteresting

    a heavy style

15. prodigious

    a heavy drinker

16. (of cakes, bread, etc) insufficiently leavened

17. deep and loud

    a heavy thud

18. 1. dramatic and powerful; grandiose

    2. not immediately comprehensible or appealing

19. slang

    1. unpleasant or tedious

    2. wonderful

    3. (of rock music) having a powerful beat; hard

20. weighted; burdened

    heavy with child

21. clumsy and slow

    heavy going

22. permeating

    a heavy smell

23. cloudy or overcast, esp threatening rain

    heavy skies

24. not easily digestible

    a heavy meal

25. (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

26. horse racing (of the going on a racecourse) soft and muddy

27. slang using, or prepared to use, violence or brutality

    the heavy mob

28. informal using large quantities of

    this car is heavy on petrol

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noun

1. 1. a villainous role

   2. an actor who plays such a part

2. military

   1. a large fleet unit, esp an aircraft carrier or battleship

   2. a large calibre or weighty piece of artillery

3. informal (usually plural) a serious newspaper

   the Sunday heavies

4. informal a heavyweight boxer, wrestler, etc

5. slang a man hired to threaten violence or deter others by his presence

6. strong bitter beer

adverb

1. 1. in a heavy manner; heavily

      time hangs heavy

   2. ( in combination )

      heavy-laden

heavy Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing heavy

• hot and heavy
• make heavy weather of
• play the heavy
• time hangs heavy

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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

• heaviness
  noun
• overheaviness
  noun
• unheaviness
  noun
• overheavy
  adjective
• ultraheavy
  adjective
• unheavy
  adjective
• heavily
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• heavies
  plural

Adjectives

• heavier
  comparative
• heaviest
  superlative

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

heavy heavies heavier heaviest

On RateMyProfessors, students remark on Boyagoda’s heavy assignments, tough grading and distaste for cellphones, but also hail his “comedy.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

Hundreds of North Sea workers are still too heavy for offshore helicopter travel less than two months before new rules come into force, BBC Scotland has learned.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

“Increased fuel loading would elevate wildfire risk to developed areas, particularly in Avalon and other locations where heavy fuels are present within 200 feet of structures,” he wrote.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

Oracle has generated controversy over its heavy capital expenditures and the debt it’s taken on to support its AI expansion.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026

His thick fist followed the line till he came to a heavy hook.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

I didn’t see the seals of approval from America’s trio of book-club heavies — Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, and Jenna Bush Hager — on its cover.

From Salon ● Jun. 25, 2026

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

What’s happening reminds me of the concluding line Lisa Simpson sang when Springfield Nuclear Power Plant workers went on strike against Mr. Burns and his heavies:

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2025

They are smaller shells;—and amongst them, booming through the night like an organ, go the great coal-boxes and the heavies.

From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque

Particle physics changed dramatically again in 1974 with the discovery of the heavier charm quark.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 2, 2026

Attracting new customers—both in existing markets and untapped ones—requires heavier advertising, especially because the company primarily sells its products online.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026

There remain questions around whether those per-90 numbers would survive a heavier workload, while his finishing record at Chelsea explains why doubts have followed him.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

"The spending machine is still running, but the bill is getting heavier," said Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management.

From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026

Seven’s heart felt heavier, her chest tightening with anxiety and worry.

From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega

"Worrying", "freefall" and "rude awakening" were all bandied around in the immediate aftermath of the club's heaviest ever two-legged European defeat as new boss Wouter Vrankcen's tenure got off to a rocky start.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

Within the index, energy and tech carried the heaviest second-quarter expectations: Analysts see energy-sector profits more than doubling from a year earlier, while tech earnings are projected to climb 61%.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026

It is still unclear whether moderate chili pepper consumption carries the same risks observed among the heaviest consumers, or whether there is a threshold above which risk begins to increase.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026

The UN Development Programme has found that Afghanistan is among a group of countries that "have contributed the least to global warming yet bear its heaviest costs".

From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026

I’ll hang them together on the original tree, the one heaviest with shoes, which has been struck by lightning more than once-—I can tell because the trunk looks dead and black.

From "All The Bright Places" by Jennifer Niven

Related Words

• awkward
• big
• bulky
• burdensome
• considerable
• cumbersome
• excessive
• fat
• hefty
• huge
• large
• massive
• substantial
• unwieldy
• weighty