heavy-duty
Americanadjective
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providing an unusual amount of power, durability, etc..
heavy-duty machinery; heavy-duty shoes.
-
very important, impressive, or serious.
heavy-duty involvement; heavy-duty questions.
noun
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made to withstand hard wear, bad weather, etc
heavy-duty uniforms
-
subject to high import or export taxes
Etymology
Origin of heavy-duty
First recorded in 1910–15
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.
Diesel, which yields more energy than gasoline, is the fuel of choice for heavy-duty vehicles such as commercial trucks, school buses and farm machinery.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 18, 2026
Zero-emission vehicles made up around 23% of new medium- and heavy-duty truck sales in the state in 2024, according to a release from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 21, 2026
Reports say the group has held talks with Israel's Rafael Advanced Defence Systems about making components there for the Iron Dome air defence system, including heavy-duty trucks and electricity generators but not the projectiles themselves.
From Barron's ● Jun. 7, 2026
The American Axle plant also supplies GM’s Oshawa, Ontario, truck plant, which assembles heavy-duty Silverados in addition to those made in Flint.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2026
A Racal suit performs the same job as a heavy-duty Chemturion space suit.
From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston
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.
