heavyweight
Americanadjective
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of more than average weight or thickness.
a coat of heavyweight material.
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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).
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of or relating to the weight class or division of such boxers.
a heavyweight bout.
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(of a riding horse, especially a hunter) able to carry up to 205 pounds (93 kilograms).
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designating a person, company, nation, or other entity that is extremely powerful, influential, or important.
a team of heavyweight lawyers.
noun
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heavyweights
plural
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a person of more than average weight.
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a heavyweight boxer or wrestler.
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a person, company, nation, or other entity that is powerful and influential.
a price hike initiated by the heavyweights in the industry.
noun
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a person or thing that is heavier than average
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a professional boxer weighing more than 175 pounds (79 kg)
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an amateur boxer weighing more than 81 kg (179 pounds)
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( as modifier )
the world heavyweight championship
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a wrestler in a similar weight category (usually over 214 pounds (97 kg))
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informal an important or highly influential person
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of heavyweight
Explanation
A heavyweight is someone or something that is impressive in relative size or importance. In sports like boxing and wrestling, a heavyweight is a contestant in the group that includes the largest, heaviest competitors. Heavyweight, a compound word formed by joining heavy and weight, was first used in the late 1700s to categorize long-distance race horses who could carry heavier-than-average riders and gear. The sports meaning soon followed, with boxers sorted into lightweight, middleweight, or heavyweight divisions to ensure, for example, that a 225-pound athlete wouldn't be matched against a 130-pound opponent. Figuratively, this word describes an impressive or prominent figure — you might say that a powerful senior lawmaker is a heavyweight in the Senate.
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.
See Examples For:
Five months after producing one of the most dramatic heavyweight fights of the year, Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley will renew their rivalry in London on Saturday.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
Promoter Frank Warren is predicting a "blockbuster" 2027 for the heavyweight division, with lucrative fights awaiting Saturday's winner.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Although tiny by today's standards, this aquatic hunter was a heavyweight among the early mammal relatives that shared the planet with dinosaurs.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
"Today the issue is survival," added the mayor, a towering former world heavyweight champion boxer who has served as Kyiv mayor since 2014.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
Some of them didn’t understand, and that’s how it began to get around that I was Cassius Clay, world heavyweight champion.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
But back-to-back stoppage victories over Wardley have reinforced his standing among the world's leading active heavyweights.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
Though businesses are diversifying away from the two AI heavyweights, overall AI spending seems to be continuing on a steep upward trajectory, the analysts say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
On Sunday the kingdom began hosting the World Petroleum Congress, an event that normally draws oil heavyweights from across the world, including energy ministers as well as CEOs from BP, Exxon Mobil Corp.,
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
While Silicon Valley heavyweights OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and Meta dominate the landscape, young startups like Instinct are also becoming breakout hits.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
There had been a grand theatrical season and a whole crop of great young light heavyweights.
From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway
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