heavy
/ˈhɛv.i/
More pronunciations (1)Fewer pronunciations
Australia/ˈhev.i/
heavy adjective: having great weight.
Adjective (1)
heavy (comparative heavier, superlative heaviest)
- Having great weight.
- Can you help me carry this? It's really heavy.
- Use the scales to measure how heavy it is.
- Heavyset: overweight.
- When he was a child he was rather heavy, but today he is impressively fit.
- Serious, somber.
- "We're still in an existential-stakes war with the Pa'anuri, and possibly with our own destructive tendencies." ' "Sorry. That was pretty heavy for someone who just woke up." "Oh, I'm fine. Waking up alive has ALWAYS meant spending the day trying not to be dead."2020 January 8, Howard Tayler, Schlock Mercenary, archived from the original on 13 Feb 2025
- Not easy to bear; burdensome; oppressive.
- heavy yokes, expenses, undertakings, trials, news, etc.
- The hand of the Lord was heavy upon them of Ashdod.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 1 Samuel 5:6
- Good.
- This film is heavy.
- Profound.
- The Moody Blues are, like, heavy.
- High, great.
- The ovarian response to gonadotropic hormones may be erratic at first, so that irregular or heavy bleeding sometimes occurs1998, Stanley George Clayton, ""Menstruation" in Encyclopedia Britannica
- Armed.
- Come heavy, or not at all.
- Loud, distorted, or intense.
- Metal is heavier than rock.
- Hot and humid.
- Doing the specified activity more intensely than most other people.
- This car is too heavy on gas.
- He was a heavy sleeper, a heavy eater and a heavy smoker – certainly not an ideal husband.
- With eyelids difficult to keep open due to tiredness.
- Watch for the signs of fatigue, including yawning, blinking and heavy eyes.2021 December, The Road Ahead, Brisbane, page 11, column 3
- High in fat or protein; difficult to digest.
- Cheese-stuffed sausage is too heavy to eat before exercising.
Show 12 more meaningsShow fewer meanings
- Of great force, power, or intensity; deep or intense.
- it was a heavy storm; a heavy slumber in bed; a heavy punch
- The surf was not heavy, and there was no undertow, so we made shore easily, effecting an equally easy landing.1918 September–November, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “The Land That Time Forgot”, in The Blue Book Magazine, Chicago, Ill.: Story-press Corp., →OCLC; republished as chapter IV, in Hugo Gernsback, editor...
- Laden with that which is weighty; encumbered; burdened; bowed down, either with an actual burden, or with grief, pain, disappointment, etc.
- his eyes were heavy with sleep; she was heavy with child
- The heavy [sorrowing] nobles all in council were.1614–1615, Homer, “(please specify the book number)”, in Geo[rge] Chapman, transl., Homer’s Odysses. […], London: […] Rich[ard] Field [and William Jaggard], for Nathaniell Butter, published 1615...
- Slow; sluggish; inactive; or lifeless, dull, inanimate, stupid.
- a heavy gait, looks, manners, style, etc.
- a heavy writer or book
- Impeding motion; cloggy; clayey.
- The next day we only made some eight miles, as the road was heavy beyond all belief. It lay through a desert region of country which was ancle-deep ^([sic]) in soda and alkali dust.1861, E. J. Guerin, Mountain Charley, page 37
- a heavy road; a heavy soil
- Not raised or leavened.
- heavy bread
- Having much body or strength.
- With child; pregnant.
- Containing one or more isotopes that are heavier than the normal one.
- heavy water
- Of petroleum, having high viscosity.
- Of a market: in which the price of shares is declining.
- The very low prices of brandy, and the continuance of a heavy market for such a length of time, have begun to attract buyers; […]1819, The Scots Magazine, volumes 83-84, page 577
- The oil market is heavy, each day bringing along further supplies of shares from people who have not tired of the long-continued decline in the market.1922, The Investor's Monthly Manual: A Newspaper for Investors, page 626
- Heavily-armed.
- Having a relatively high takeoff weight and payload.
- Having a maximum takeoff weight exceeding 300,000 pounds, as almost all widebodies do, generating high wake turbulence.
Adverb
heavy (comparative more heavy, superlative most heavy)
Noun
heavy (plural heavies or heavys)
- A villain or bad guy; the one responsible for evil or aggressive acts.
- With his wrinkled, uneven face, the actor always seemed to play the heavy in films.
- A doorman, bouncer or bodyguard.
- A fight started outside the bar but the heavies came out and stopped it.
- A prominent figure; a "major player".
- A collection of topical themes and love songs, featuring session work by women's music "heavies" Holly Near, Mary Watkins, Linda Tillery, Robin Flower, and others.1985 December 21, Nan Donald, “Flat-picking up a Storm”, in Gay Community News, volume 13, number 23, page 6
- A newspaper of the quality press.
- The comment may be offered here that the 'heavies' have been the Design Award's principal scorers, both in the overall bronze plaque days and, since, in the Daily/Sunday Class 1.1973, Allen Hutt, The changing newspaper, page 151
- Reviewers in the heavies aim to impress with the depth of their knowledge and appreciation.2006, Richard Keeble, The Newspapers Handbook
- A relatively large multi-engined aircraft.
- In a firm voice he said, “World Wide Six heavy is ready for takeoff.”1990, Perry Francis Lafferty, The Downing of Flight Six Heavy, page 85
- I read five heavies, maybe transports or tankers...could be bombers.2000, Philip Woods, Shattered Allegiance, page 363
- A serious theatrical role.
- Payton boasted his range included "leading parts or genteel heavies, character old men, dialect parts, old women and, on occasion, soubrettes and leading ladies"; however, he was most at ease in light comedy roles.2008, William L. Slout, Theatre in a Tent, page 28
- A member of the heavy cavalry.
- Cavalry […] is divided into mediums, heavies, and light cavalry. The mediums consist of 13 regiments; the heavies of 2 regiments; and the light of 13.1891, Ebenezer Cobham Brewer, The Historic Note-book: With an Appendix of Battles, page 153
Verb
heavy (third-person singular simple present heavies, present participle heavying, simple past and past participle heavied)
- To make heavier.
- They piled their goods on the donkey's back, heavying up an already backbreaking load.
- To sadden.
- To use power or wealth to exert influence on, e.g., governments or corporations; to pressure.
- The union was well known for the methods it used to heavy many businesses.
- […]the Prime Minister sought to evade the simple fact that he heavied Mr Reid to get rid of Dr Armstrong.1985, Australian House of Representatives, House of Representatives Weekly Hansard, Issue 11, Part 1, page 1570
Adjective (2)
IPA/ˈhiːvi/
heavy (comparative more heavy, superlative most heavy)
- Having the heaves.
- a heavy horse
heavy meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu
heavy in Hindi
- having great weight
- भारा bhārā
heavy in Tamil
- பாரம் அல்லது எடை கூடுதலான, கனமான, கனத்த, அளவு கூடுதலான
heavy in Marathi
- having great weight
- जड j̈aḍ
heavy in Urdu
- having great weight
- بھاری bhārī
More languagesFewer languages
- heavy in Bengali
- ভারী bhari
- heavy in Telugu
- బరువైన baruvaina
- heavy in Malayalam
- കനത്ത kanatta, കനമുള്ള kanamuḷḷa, ഭാരമുള്ള bhāramuḷḷa, കട്ട kaṭṭa
- heavy in Kannada
- ವಜ್ಜೆ vajje
- heavy in Punjabi
- ਭਾਰਾ bhārā, بھارا bhārā, ਨਿੱਗਰ niggar, ਧੂੰਆਂਧਾਰ dhū̃āndhār
- heavy in Gujarati
- ભારે bhāre
- heavy in Odia
- ଭାରି bhāri
- heavy in Sanskrit
- गुरु guru
- heavy in Assamese
- গধুৰ godhur, ভাৰী bhari
- heavy in Nepali
- गह्रुङ्गो gahruṅgo, गह्रौं gahra͠u
- heavy in Pashto
- دروند drund
- heavy in Tagalog
- mabigat
- heavy in Arabic
- ثَقِيل ṯaqīl
- heavy in Malay
- berat, lebut
- heavy in Indonesian
- berat, deras
- heavy in Persian
- سنگین sangin
- heavy in Thai
- หนัก nàk
- heavy in Vietnamese
- nặng
- heavy in Myanmar
- လေး le:, လေးလံ le:lam
Examples of heavy in a sentence
- The king himself hath a heavy reckoning to make.1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […]...
- Sent hither by my Husband to impart the heavy news.1814, William Wordsworth, The Excursion:
- [Rural solar plant] schemes are of little help to industry or other heavy users of electricity.2013 July 20, “Out of the gloom”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845:
- Seating himselfe within a darkesome cave, / (Such places heavy Saturnists doe crave,) / Where yet the gladsome day was never seene […]1613, William Browne, Britannia's Pastorals:
Synonyms of heavy
Antonyms
Forms of heavy
| Adjective | |
|---|---|
| comparative | heavier |
| superlative | heaviest |
| comparative | more heavy |
| superlative | most heavy |
| Adverb | |
| comparative | more heavy |
| superlative | most heavy |
| Noun | |
| plural | heavies |
| plural | heavys |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | heavies |
| present participle | heavying |
| past participle | heavied |
| past | heavied |
Origin of heavy
From Middle English hevy, heviȝ, from Old English hefiġ, hefeġ, hæfiġ (“heavy; important, grave, severe, serious; oppressive, grievous; slow, dull”), from Proto-West Germanic *habīg (“heavy, hefty, weighty”), from Proto-Germanic *habīgaz (“heavy, hefty, weighty”), from Proto-Indo-European *kap- (“to take, grasp, hold”). Equivalent to heave + -y. Related to have. Cognate with Scots hevy, havy, heavy (“heavy”), Saterland Frisian heeuwich, häwich (“violent, angry”), West Frisian hevich (“violent”), Dutch hevig (“violent, severe, intense, acute”), German Low German hevig (“violent, fierce, intense, angry”), German hebig (compare heftig (“fierce, severe, intense, violent, heavy”)), Icelandic höfugur (“heavy, weighty, important”), Latin capāx (“large, wide, roomy, spacious, capacious, capable, apt”). Compare typologically Russian объёмный (obʺjómnyj), ёмкий (jómkij) (akin to име́ть (imétʹ), взять (vzjatʹ)).
From heave + -y.
Words formed from heavy
- as heavy as a dead donkey
- heavier-than-air
- heavily
- heaviness
- heavisome
- heavy-armed
- heavy artillery
- heavy as a dead donkey
- heavy-bearded
- heavy bomber
- heavy bread
- heavy breather
- heavy breathing
- heavy-browed
- heavy cavalry
- heavy chain
- heavy chemicals
- heavy client
- heavy-coated
- heavy cream
- heavy cross to bear
- heavy cruiser
- heavy date
- heavy drinker
- heavy drinking
- heavy duty
- heavy-duty
- heavy-duty vehicle
- heavy earth
- heavy element
- heavy equipment
- heavyeyed
- heavy-faced
- heavy fermion
- heavy foot
- heavy-foot
- heavy-footed
- heavy-footed moa
- heavy frigate
- heavy glass
- heavy going
- heavy goods vehicle
- heavy-half
- heavy half
- heavy hand
- heavy-handed
- heavy-handedly
- heavy-handedness
- heavy-headed
- heavy heart
- heavyhearted
- heavy-hearted
- heavy-heartedly
- heavy-heartedness
- heavy hitter
- heavy-hitter
- heavy hydrogen
- heavy ice
- heavy icebreaker
- heavy industry
Phrases with heavy
- fw heavy
- dog heavy
- heavy ion
- heavy man
- heavy men
- heavy mob
- heavy wet
- wee heavy
- hang heavy
- heavy ions
- heavy legs
- heavy lift
70 more phrasesFewer phrases
- heavy mobs
- heavy rail
- heavy sink
- heavy spar
- heavy tail
- heavy tank
- hung heavy
- brain heavy
- hangs heavy
- heavy cakes
- heavy dates
- heavy halfs
- heavy metal
- heavy piece
- heavy sinks
- heavy spars
- heavy tails
- heavy tanks
- heavy water
- super heavy
- heavy creams
- heavy hearts
- heavy metals
- heavy pieces
- heavy plough
- heavy roller
- heavy wetter
- hanging heavy
- heavy bombers
- heavy clients
- heavy glasses
- heavy hitters
- heavy lifting
- heavy metally
- heavy petting
- heavy ploughs
- heavy rollers
- heavy vehicle
- heavy wetters
- hot and heavy
- heavy cruisers
- heavy fermions
- heavy frigates
- heavy vehicles
- heavy cavalries
- heavy machinery
- heavy breathings
- heavy with child
- time hangs heavy
- heavy icebreakers
- heavy machine gun
- super heavy water
- heavy machine guns
- heavy metal umlaut
- made heavy weather
- make heavy weather
- heavy metal umlauts
- made heavy going of
- make heavy going of
- makes heavy weather
- heavy goods vehicles
- heavy marching order
- makes heavy going of
- making heavy weather
- made heavy weather of
- make heavy weather of
- making heavy going of
- Late Heavy Bombardment
- makes heavy weather of
- making heavy weather of
Words that rhyme with heavy
Questions about heavy
- What does heavy mean?
- Heavy means having great weight.
- What is heavy in Hindi?
- Heavy in Hindi is भारा (bhārā). See Heavy meaning in Hindi.
- How do you use heavy in a sentence?
- The king himself hath a heavy reckoning to make.
- What part of speech is heavy?
- Heavy can be an adjective, an adverb, a noun or a verb.
- How do you pronounce heavy?
- Heavy is pronounced /ˈhɛv.i/ (UK).
Words near heavy in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: heavy (page history and authors); heavy (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); കട്ട (Malayalam) (page history and authors); ವಜ್ಜೆ (Kannada) (page history and authors); بھارا (Punjabi) (page history and authors); ભારે (Gujarati) (page history and authors); गह्रुङ्गो (Nepali) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-heavy.ogg, EN-AU ck1 heavy.ogg, LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-heavy2.wav.
Cite this entry: “heavy.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/heavy. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.