heavyweight

[hev-ee-weyt]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR heavyweight ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of more than average weight or thickness: a coat of heavyweight material.

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

of or relating to the weight class or division of such boxers: a heavyweight bout.

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

designating a person, company, nation, or other entity that is extremely powerful, influential, or important: a team of heavyweight lawyers.

noun

a person of more than average weight.

a heavyweight boxer or wrestler.

a person, company, nation, or other entity that is powerful and influential: a price hike initiated by the heavyweights in the industry.

Origin of heavyweight

First recorded in 1850–55; heavy + weight

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for heavyweight

celebrity, luminary, bigwig, large, gross, fat, l, heavy, great, major, chief, professional, grave, leader, star, notable, official, character, VIP, personage

Examples from the Web for heavyweight

Contemporary Examples of heavyweight

Muhammad Ali “shocked the world” 50 years ago this week when he beat Sonny Liston to become the heavyweight champion of the world.
The Stacks: The True Greatness of Muhammad Ali
Peter Richmond
February 23, 2014
After serving three years, Tyson quickly got back into the fight game and regained the heavyweight title one year later.
Why Bieber Could Benefit From Scandal
Joe Concha
January 27, 2014
RockLive had already raised $1.6 million from heavyweight investors including boxer Floyd Mayweather.
Justin Bieber and the New Golden Age of Selfies
Caitlin Dickson
November 14, 2013
He did become the 2010 Golden Gloves heavyweight champion for New England and win its Rocky Graziano Award.
The Boston Marathon Suspects Are Killers, Not Combatants
Michael Daly
April 21, 2013
Now 17 years and 46 bouts later, the WBC heavyweight king is near the end of his reign.
Vitali Klitschko Contemplates Bowing Out of the Ring and Entering Ukrainian Politics
Gordon Marino
March 26, 2013

Historical Examples of heavyweight

Is this the lady that's entered for the heavyweight Juliet championship?
Torchy
Sewell Ford
Better put two more on you, Buster, because youre a heavyweight, you know.
Motor Boat Boys Down the Danube
Louis Arundel
The heavyweight pursuer could not get nearer than half a dozen paces.
Average Jones
Samuel Hopkins Adams
He had received a bit the worst of it in the heavyweight bout.
The A.E.F.
Heywood Broun
He has not worn an overcoat or heavyweight flannels for six years.
Rosemary and Rue
Amber

British Dictionary definitions for heavyweight

heavyweight

noun

a person or thing that is heavier than average

a professional boxer weighing more than 175 pounds (79 kg)
an amateur boxer weighing more than 81 kg (179 pounds)
(as modifier)the world heavyweight championship

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

informal an important or highly influential person

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for heavyweight

noun and adj., 1857 of horses; 1877 of fighters; from heavy + weight. Figuratively, of importance, from 1928.