heavy

HEV-ee/ˈhɛv.i/

37 meanings of heavy

1
weighs a lotadjective
Weighing a great deal and hard to lift or carry.
Like a big rock that you can barely pick up.
The box was too heavy for me to lift alone.
She carried a heavy bag of books up the stairs.
UsageSay too heavy to carry. Compare: heavier, heaviest.
Similarhefty, weighty, massive, ponderous
Oppositelight, lightweight
Note
2
big (number)adjective
Large in amount or number.
Like a road packed with cars instead of an empty one.
There was heavy traffic on the way home.
The store saw heavy demand for the new game.
UsageSay heavy rain and heavy traffic.
Similarlarge, high, substantial, considerable, severe
Oppositelight, low, small, slight
3
forcefuladjective
Very strong, hard, or forceful.
Like a storm that hits hard instead of a light drizzle.
Heavy winds knocked down two big trees in our yard.
The boxer landed a heavy blow to his opponent's jaw.
UsageSay heavy fighting or heavy fire.
Similarfierce, intense, strong, stiff, severe
Oppositelight, weak, slight
4
loud (music)adjective
Very loud, rough, and powerful in sound.
Like thunder compared to a soft whisper.
The band played a heavy riff that shook the room.
He likes heavy music with loud guitars and pounding drums.
UsageUsed about loud music: heavy metal.
Similarhard, loud, intense
Oppositelight, soft, mellow, gentle
5
burdensomeadjective
Hard to deal with because it brings worry or trouble.
Like carrying a backpack full of rocks all day.
Caring for both parents put a heavy load on her.
The new taxes were a heavy burden on small shops.
UsageSay a heavy burden or a heavy responsibility.
Similarburdensome, onerous, oppressive, weighty, taxing
Oppositelight, easy, manageable
Note
6
adjective
Strong and full in taste or feel.
Like thick syrup compared to plain water.
This red wine is heavy and rich.
He brewed a heavy, dark beer for the winter.
Similarfull-bodied, robust, rich, strong, full
Oppositelight, thin, delicate
7
big (user)adjective
Doing something much more than most people do.
Like someone who eats candy all day, not just once in a while.
He used to be a heavy smoker before he quit.
She's a heavy reader who finishes a book each week.
UsageSay a heavy smoker or a heavy sleeper.
Similarfrequent, habitual, avid, big
Oppositelight, occasional, moderate, casual
Note
8
big gunsadjective
Large and powerful, or carrying strong weapons or thick armor, for serious fighting.
Like a fighter loaded with as many weapons as possible.
The army sent in heavy units to hold the border.
These heavy gunships can flatten a fortified position.
Similararmed, armored, strong
Oppositelight
Note
9
rich (food)adjective
Full of fat or rich food, so it's hard to digest.
Like a big greasy burger that sits in your belly.
The meal was so heavy that I needed a nap afterward.
Fried food can feel heavy in your stomach.
UsageThe opposite is light: a light meal.
Similarrich, filling, hearty, stodgy, substantial
Oppositelight
10
gloomyadjective
Serious and sad, not light or fun.
Like the quiet feeling after hearing sad news.
The movie had a heavy ending that left everyone quiet.
A heavy mood settled over the room after the bad news.
UsageA talk gets heavy when it becomes serious or sad.
Similarserious, somber, weighty, grave, dark
Oppositelight, lighthearted, frivolous
Note
11
weighed downadjective
Weighed down by a load or by sad feelings.
Like a tree branch bending low under heavy snow.
She left the funeral with a heavy heart.
The old truck was heavy with bricks and crawled slowly up the hill.
UsageSay heavy with fruit, or with a heavy heart.
Similarladen, burdened, loaded, sorrowful, sad
Oppositelight
Note

Less common meanings

12
humidadjective
Hot and damp, with thick, sticky air.
Like the thick, sticky air just before a big rainstorm.
The air felt heavy before the summer storm.
The air felt hot and heavy right before the storm.
Similarmuggy, humid, sultry, oppressive, close
Oppositefresh, dry, crisp
13
chemistryadjective
Made with atoms that weigh more than the usual kind.
Like a marble that weighs more than another marble the same size.
Scientists used heavy water in the nuclear reactor.
Heavy hydrogen has an extra particle in its center.
Oppositelight
Note
14
important personnouncountable
An important and powerful person in a group or field.
Like the biggest player on the team that everyone watches.
She became a real heavy in the music business.
The meeting was full of political heavies.
UsageOften plural: political heavies, industry heavies.
Similarbigwig, player, titan, mogul
Oppositelightweight, nobody
Note
15
bad guynounslangcountable
A villain or bad guy in a story: the character behind cruel or violent acts.
Like the mean character everyone roots against in a movie.
In the movie, the heavy kidnaps the hero's family.
Action films always need a few heavies to defeat.
UsagePlay the heavy means be the bad or strict one.
Similarvillain, antagonist, baddie
Oppositehero, protagonist
Note
16
thick (oil)adjective
Used about oil that is thick, sticky and slow to flow.
Like thick honey that pours much slower than water.
Heavy crude is harder to pump from the ground.
Refineries pay less for heavy oil because it's tough to process.
Similarviscous, thick
Oppositelight
Note
17
sticky (ground)adjective
Used about ground or soil that is thick and sticky, making it hard to move through.
Like walking through thick mud that grabs your boots.
The horses struggled across the heavy, muddy field.
Rain left the track heavy and hard to run on.
Similarsticky, muddy, boggy, clayey
Oppositelight, loose
Note
18
tiredadjective
Feeling tired and slow, as when your eyes are hard to keep open or your body feels weak.
Like a tired body that doesn't want to get up.
He felt heavy and slow after the big meal.
My legs felt heavy at the end of the long hike.
Similarsluggish, leaden, weary, tired, drowsy
Oppositelight, lively, alert
Note
19
with great weightadverb
In a heavy way, or a lot.
He sat down heavy in the old wooden chair.
She has been lifting heavy at the gym all year.
Similarhard
Oppositelightly
20
carrying a weaponadjectiveslang
Carrying a gun, a knife, or another weapon.
Watch out for him, he came heavy, with a gun in his belt.
The cops searched him because they heard he was heavy, and they found a gun in his coat.
UsageUse it after a verb: he came heavy.
Similararmed, strapped
Oppositeunarmed
21
bodyguardnounslangcountable
A person hired to guard a door or protect someone, using size and strength.
Like a big guard who keeps trouble away.
The club's heavy checked everyone at the door.
Two heavies stood beside the singer all night.
Similarbouncer, bodyguard, doorman, minder, enforcer
Note
22
dense (bread)adjective
Used about bread that is dense and flat because it did not rise.
Like a flat brick instead of a soft, puffy loaf.
The bread came out heavy because the yeast was dead.
These pancakes are too heavy and dense to enjoy.
Similardense, stodgy, leaden, doughy, solid
Oppositelight, airy, fluffy
23
pressureverbcolloquialAustraliaNew Zealandtransitive
To use money or power to push someone into doing what you want.
Like a big kid forcing a smaller one to hand over lunch money.
They tried to heavy the council into approving the deal.
Big donors heavy politicians to get the laws they want.
UsageElsewhere, say pressure or lean on.
Similarpressure, bully, coerce, strong-arm, intimidate
Note
24
adjective
Used about an aircraft built to take off carrying a lot of weight and cargo.
25
noun
A big aircraft with several engines, like a large passenger jet or cargo plane.
26
verbrare
To add weight to something, making it heavier.
27
verbarchaic
To make someone feel sad, low, or weighed down.
28
adjective
Used about a stock market where share prices are falling.
29
adjectivedatedBritish
Really great or cool.
30
adjectivedatedUS
Very deep and serious in meaning.
31
adjectiveobsolete
Going to have a baby.
32
adjective
Describing a very large plane that leaves strong, rough air behind it.
33
adverbcolloquialIndia
Really, or to a great degree.
34
nounslang
A serious newspaper, not a tabloid.
35
nounarchaic
A serious part in a play.
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
36
noun
A soldier who rode a big horse and carried heavy weapons.
37
adjective
Of a horse, having heaves, a lung illness that makes breathing hard.

Practice

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Origin

From Old English "hefig," meaning heavy, serious, or oppressive. It goes back to older Germanic words and is related to "have."

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 5 facts

Heavy descends from Old English hefig. en.wiktionary.org
Old English hefig meant heavy or serious. en.wiktionary.org
Old English hefig also meant oppressive. en.wiktionary.org
The word has older Germanic ancestry. en.wiktionary.org
Heavy and have are related through their shared ancestral root. en.wiktionary.org