heav·y (h?v??)adj. heav·i·er, heav·i·est 1. Having relatively great weight: a heavy load.2. Having relatively high density; having a high specific gravity.3. a. Large, as in number or quantity: a heavy turnout; heavy casualties.b. Large in yield or output: heavy rainfall.4. Of great intensity: heavy activity; heavy fighting.5. a. Having great power or force: a heavy punch.b. Violent; rough: heavy seas.6. a. Equipped with massive armaments and weapons: a heavy cruiser; heavy infantry.b. Large enough to fire powerful shells: heavy guns.7. a. Indulging to a great degree: a heavy drinker.b. Involved or participating on a large scale: a heavy investor.8. Of great import or seriousness; grave: heavy matters of state.9. a. Having considerable thickness: a heavy coat.b. Broad or coarse: drew the face with heavy lines.10. a. Dense; thick: a heavy fog.b. Slow to dissipate; strong: “There was a heavy fragrance of flowers and lemon trees” (Mario Puzo).c. Too dense or rich to digest easily: a heavy dessert.d. Insufficiently leavened: heavy bread.e. Full of clay and readily saturated: heavy soil.11. a. Weighed down; burdened: trees heavy with plums.b. Emotionally weighed down; despondent: a heavy heart.c. Marked by or exhibiting weariness: heavy lids.d. Sad or painful: heavy news.12. a. Hard to do or accomplish; arduous: heavy going; heavy reading.b. Not easily borne; oppressive: heavy taxes.13. Lacking vitality; deficient in vivacity or grace: a heavy gait; heavy humor.14. Sharply inclined; steep: a heavy grade.15. Having a large capacity or designed for rough work: a heavy truck.16. Of, relating to, or involving the large-scale production of basic products, such as steel: heavy industry.17. Of or relating to a serious dramatic role.18. Physics Of or relating to an isotope with an atomic mass greater than the average mass of that element.19. Loud; sonorous: a heavy sound; heavy breathing.20. Linguistics Of, relating to, or being a syllable ending in a long vowel or in a vowel plus two consonants.21. Slang a. Of great significance or profundity.b. Very popular or important: a rock star who is really heavy.adv. heav·i·er, heav·i·est Heavily: The snow is falling heavier tonight than last night.n. pl. heav·ies 1. a. A serious or tragic role in a play.b. An actor playing such a role.2. Slang A villain in a story or play.3. Slang A mobster.4. Slang One that is very important or influential: a media heavy.[Middle English hevi, from Old English hefig; see kap- in Indo-European roots.]heav?i·ness n.Synonyms: heavy, weighty, hefty, massive, ponderous These adjectives mean having a relatively great weight. Heavy refers to what has great physical weight (a heavy boulder) and figuratively to what is burdensome or oppressive to the spirit (heavy responsibilities). Weighty literally denotes having considerable weight (a weighty package); figuratively, it describes what is onerous, serious, or important (a weighty decision). Hefty refers principally to physical heaviness or brawniness: a hefty book; a short, hefty wrestler. Massive describes what is bulky, heavy, solid, and strong: massive marble columns. Ponderous refers to what has great mass and weight and usually implies unwieldiness: ponderous prehistoric beasts. Figuratively it describes what is complicated, involved, or lacking in grace: a book with a ponderous plot.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.heavy (?h?v?) adj, heavier or heaviest1. of comparatively great weight: a heavy stone. 2. (General Physics) having a relatively high density: lead is a heavy metal. 3. great in yield, quality, or quantity: heavy rain; heavy traffic. 4. great or considerable: heavy emphasis. 5. hard to bear, accomplish, or fulfil: heavy demands. 6. sad or dejected in spirit or mood: heavy at heart. 7. coarse or broad: a heavy line; heavy features. 8. (Physical Geography) (of soil) having a high clay content; cloggy9. solid or fat: heavy legs. 10. (Commerce) (of an industry) engaged in the large-scale complex manufacture of capital goods or extraction of raw materials. Compare light21911. serious; grave12. (Military) military a. armed or equipped with large weapons, armour, etcb. (of guns, etc) of a large and powerful type13. (Phonetics & Phonology) (of a syllable) having stress or accentuation. Compare light22414. dull and uninteresting: a heavy style. 15. prodigious: a heavy drinker. 16. (Cookery) (of cakes, bread, etc) insufficiently leavened17. deep and loud: a heavy thud. 18. (of music, literature, etc)a. dramatic and powerful; grandioseb. not immediately comprehensible or appealing19. slang a. unpleasant or tediousb. wonderfulc. (of rock music) having a powerful beat; hard20. weighted; burdened: heavy with child. 21. clumsy and slow: heavy going. 22. permeating: a heavy smell. 23. (Physical Geography) cloudy or overcast, esp threatening rain: heavy skies. 24. (Cookery) not easily digestible: a heavy meal. 25. (General Physics) (of an element or compound) being or containing an isotope with greater atomic weight than that of the naturally occurring element: heavy hydrogen; heavy water. 26. (Horse Racing) horse racing (of the going on a racecourse) soft and muddy27. slang using, or prepared to use, violence or brutality: the heavy mob. 28. heavy on informal using large quantities of: this car is heavy on petrol. n, pl heavies29. (Theatre) a. a villainous roleb. an actor who plays such a part30. (Military) military a. a large fleet unit, esp an aircraft carrier or battleshipb. a large calibre or weighty piece of artillery31. (Journalism & Publishing) the heavies (usually plural) informal a serious newspaper: the Sunday heavies. 32. informal a heavyweight boxer, wrestler, etc33. slang a man hired to threaten violence or deter others by his presence34. (Brewing) Scot strong bitter beeradva. in a heavy manner; heavily: time hangs heavy. b. (in combination): heavy-laden. [Old English hefig; related to hebban to heave, Old High German heb?g] ?heavily adv ?heaviness nCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014heav?y (?h?v i) adj. heav?i?er, heav?i?est, adj. 1. of great weight: a heavy load. 2. of great amount, quantity, or size: a heavy vote. 3. of great force, intensity, or turbulence: heavy seas. 4. of more than the usual or average weight: a heavy person. 5. of high specific gravity: a heavy metal. 6. grave; serious: a heavy offense. 7. profound: a heavy slumber. 8. a. equipped with weapons of large size. b. (of guns) of the more powerful sizes: heavy artillery. 9. hard to bear; burdensome; oppressive: heavy taxes. 10. hard to cope with; trying; difficult: a heavy schedule. 11. being as indicated to an unusual degree: a heavy drinker. 12. broad, thick, or coarse: heavy lines; heavy features. 13. weighted or laden: air heavy with moisture. 14. fraught; loaded; charged: words heavy with meaning. 15. depressed with trouble or sorrow; sad: a heavy heart. 16. without vivacity or interest; ponderous; dull: a heavy style. 17. slow or labored in movement or action; clumsy; lumbering: a heavy walk. 18. loud and deep; sonorous: heavy breathing. 19. overcast or cloudy; threatening rain. 20. thick or dense: heavy fog. 21. (of food) not easily digested. 22. capable of doing rough work: a heavy truck. 23. producing or refining basic materials, as steel or coal, used in manufacturing: heavy industry. 24. Informal. possessing or using in large quantities: heavy on the mascara. 25. serious: a heavy role. 26. a. of or pertaining to an isotope of greater atomic weight than the common isotope. b. of or pertaining to a compound containing such an element. 27. (of a syllable in verse) a. stressed. b. long. 28. Slang. a. excellent; remarkable. b. very serious or important. c. distressing or threatening. n. 29. a. a theatrical character or role that is tragic, unsympathetic, or villainous. b. an actor who plays this type of role. 30. a gun of great weight or large caliber. 31. Slang. a. a very important or influential person. b. a person employed to use violence or coercion. adv. 32. in a heavy manner; heavily. Idioms: heavy with child, in a state of advanced pregnancy. [before 900; Middle English hevi, Old English hefig=hef(e) weight (akin to heave) + -ig -y1] heav?i?ness, n. Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.heavy – From the Proto-Germanic verb khabjan, “lift,” came the noun khabiz, “weight,” which begat the Dutch hevig and then English heavy.See also related terms for lift.Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.