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heavy

2 syllables · also heavier, heaviest
Quick answer

As an adjective, heavy means having great weight. As an adverb, it means in a heavy manner.

Meanings of heavy

62 meanings

adjective

  1. of a physical objectHaving great weight.

  2. of a topicSerious, somber.

  3. Not easy to bear; burdensome; oppressive.

    “heavy yokes, expenses, undertakings, trials, news, etc.”

  4. of a rate of flowHigh, great.

  5. slangArmed.

    “Come heavy, or not at all.”

  6. of musicLoud, distorted, or intense.

    “Metal is heavier than rock.”

  7. of weatherHot and humid.

  8. of a personDoing the specified activity more intensely than most other people.

    “He was a heavy sleeper, a heavy eater and a heavy smoker – certainly not an ideal husband.”

  9. of the eyesWith eyelids difficult to keep open due to tiredness.

  10. of foodHigh in fat or protein; difficult to digest.

    “Cheese-stuffed sausage is too heavy to eat before exercising.”

  11. Of great force, power, or intensity; deep or intense.

    “it was a heavy storm; a heavy slumber in bed; a heavy punch”

  12. Laden to a great extent.

    “his eyes were heavy with sleep; she was heavy with child”

  13. Laden with that which is weighty; encumbered; burdened; bowed down, either with an actual burden, or with grief, pain, disappointment, etc.

  14. Slow; sluggish; inactive; or lifeless, dull, inanimate, stupid.

    “a heavy gait, looks, manners, style, etc.”

    “a heavy writer or book”

Older and rare meanings (3)
  1. UKslangdatedGood.

    “This film is heavy.”

  2. datedlate 1960s1970sUSProfound.

    “The Moody Blues are, like, heavy.”

  3. obsoleteWith child; pregnant.

adverb

  1. In a heavy manner; weightily; heavily; gravely.

    “heavy laden with their sins”

  2. colloquialnonstandardTo a great degree; greatly.

  3. IndiacolloquialVery

  4. Slowly as if burdened by much weight

    “time hung heavy on their hands”

    Similar: heavily

noun

  1. slangA 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.”

  2. slangA doorman, bouncer or bodyguard.

    “A fight started outside the bar but the heavies came out and stopped it.”

  3. journalismslangmostly in the pluralA newspaper of the quality press.

  4. aviationA relatively large multi-engined aircraft.

  5. An actor who plays villainous rolesperson

  6. A serious (or tragic) role in a play

verb

  1. often with "up"To make heavier.

    “They piled their goods on the donkey's back, heavying up an already backbreaking load.”

  2. To sadden.

  3. AustraliaNew ZealandinformalTo 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.”

Meanings from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0).

heavy around the world

UKGood.
USProfound.
IndiaVery
Australia, New ZealandTo use power or wealth to exert influence on, e.g., governments or corporations; to pressure.

Synonyms by meaning

All synonyms for heavy →
adjective: usually describes a large person who is fat but has a lar…
adjective: (used of soil) compact and fine-grained
adjective: darkened by clouds
adjective: permitting little if any light to pass through because of…
adjective: prodigious
adjective: full and loud and deep
Oppositeslight

Words that rhyme with heavy

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