adjective
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big and strong
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characterized by vigour or force
a hefty blow
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large, bulky, or heavy
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sizable; involving a large amount of money
a hefty bill
a hefty wage
Other Word Forms
- heftily adverb
- heftiness noun
Etymology
Origin of hefty
Explanation
Something that's hefty is big and heavy. When you have to lug a hefty suitcase around, it helps if it has wheels. Hefty objects are large and bulky, and you can describe people as hefty when they're big and brawny and strong. When you buy a hefty bag of dog food for your hefty bull mastiff, you might want to ask a hefty young employee if she'll help you carry it to your car. Hefty comes from heft, which means both "to lift" and "weight or heaviness."
Vocabulary lists containing hefty
The Wednesday Wars
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The Omnivore's Dilemma
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Hello, Universe
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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.
You take the one-off tax hit, which can be hefty, but thereafter you can painlessly do a backdoor Roth each year with no further complications.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 9, 2026
Most of the people that the BBC has talked to are still paying hefty prices for access to the internet.
From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026
War has driven up the price of cargoes, and shipowners have been willing to pay hefty raises to seafarers willing to go to the Gulf.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026
Tickets for adults were hefty, ranging from $69 for a day pass to $449 for a 3-day VIP experience.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026
That’s a hefty price compared to the same meal from the industrial food chain.
From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
