heavyweight

American  

[hev-ee-weyt] / ˈhɛv iˌweɪt /

adjective

1. heavy in weight.

2. of more than average weight or thickness.

   a coat of heavyweight material.

3. noting or pertaining to a boxer, wrestler, etc., of the heaviest competitive class, especially a professional boxer weighing more than 175 pounds (79.4 kilograms).

4. of or relating to the weight class or division of such boxers.

   a heavyweight bout.

5. (of a riding horse, especially a hunter) able to carry up to 205 pounds (93 kilograms).

6. designating a person, company, nation, or other entity that is extremely powerful, influential, or important.

   a team of heavyweight lawyers.

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noun

1. a person of more than average weight.

2. a heavyweight boxer or wrestler.

3. a person, company, nation, or other entity that is powerful and influential.

   a price hike initiated by the heavyweights in the industry.

heavyweight British  

/ ˈhɛvɪˌweɪt /

noun

1. a person or thing that is heavier than average

2. 1. a professional boxer weighing more than 175 pounds (79 kg)

   2. an amateur boxer weighing more than 81 kg (179 pounds)

   3. ( as modifier )

      the world heavyweight championship

3. a wrestler in a similar weight category (usually over 214 pounds (97 kg))

4. informal an important or highly influential person

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Etymology

Origin of heavyweight

First recorded in 1850–55; heavy + weight

Example Sentences

Yet on the other side, that was still a heavyweight, a Goliath in red.

From The Wall Street Journal

The craziest part about Team USA’s’ heavyweight showdown against Canada on the final day of the Milan Cortina Games wasn’t that it ended with a U.S. victory.

From The Wall Street Journal

On Sunday, exactly 46 years since the most stunning upset in the history of Olympic hockey, the U.S. and Canada will square off in a heavyweight showdown for global hockey supremacy.

From The Wall Street Journal

Jake Paul has undergone a second surgery on his jaw after his knockout loss to former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, the YouTuber-turned-boxer said Friday.

From Barron's

A fourth successive win followed when they met on their professional debuts in 2016 - and the pair are set to reignite their rivalry on Saturday when Shields defends her undisputed heavyweight status.

From BBC

Related Words

• bigwig
• celebrity
• luminary