heavy industry

American  

[he-vee in-duh-stree] / ˈhɛ vi ˈɪn də stri /

noun

heavy industries plural

1. a manufacturing sector or activity that uses relatively large amounts of power, equipment, and space, typically having a significant environmental impact and producing raw materials or large-scale industrial goods such as steel, cement, or chemicals (contrasted with light industry).

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• heavy industrial
  adjective
• heavy-industry
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• heavy industries
  plural

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

heavy industry

Ministers have stressed the refinery's strategic importance as a major employer in rural western Ireland and a key supplier to aluminium smelters in Sweden and France which in turn supply European heavy industry.

From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026

The roughly $2 trillion private-credit market has been awash in redemption requests, especially in funds with heavy industry exposure.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026

An 85-mile stretch of Louisiana, running southeast from Baton Rouge, hosts such a concentration of heavy industry that it long ago garnered the nickname “Cancer Alley.”

From Salon ● May 10, 2026

"A lot of people think that asbestos is a historical problem caused by heavy industry, Rick's case really does prove that's not the case," she said.

From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2026

It was used in heavy industry to render other compounds like refined gasoline or polyvinyl chloride for plastic pipe production.

From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin