heavyset

American

[hev-ee-set] / ˈhɛv iˈsɛt /

adjective

having a large body build.
stout; stocky.

Etymology

Origin of heavyset

First recorded in 1920–25; heavy + set

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.

And maybe, U.S. officials thought, there could be a way to help a heavyset 71-year-old head of state interested in shedding some pounds.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 24, 2025

One heavyset man on a bottom bunk held out a little open box and shook its contents.

From Slate • Apr. 27, 2025

He is heavyset and tall, and he uses his physicality to project strength in front of crowds.

From Salon • Feb. 14, 2024

Six feet one and heavyset, with a slight stoop and closely cropped white hair, Moretta favors black button-down shirts or white guayaberas when not in his priestly cassock.

From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2023

One of the ministers, a heavyset African American man dressed in a dark suit with a large cross around his neck, walked over to me.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023