adj

heavy

HEHV-ee

adj

Having great weight; hard to lift or carry.

"The suitcase was too heavy to carry up the stairs."

Great in amount, degree, or intensity.

"There was heavy traffic on the motorway all morning."

"She's been under a lot of heavy pressure at work."

Serious or somber in tone.

"That's pretty heavy news for a Monday morning."

noun

Informal: a villain, or a bodyguard/enforcer.

"The gang sent one of their heavies to collect the debt."

How to Use Heavy

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishWeighing a lot — and by extension, intense, serious, or (as a noun) a thug or enforcer.

Easily confused with

heaven →

Common pairings

heavy traffic heavy rain heavy burden go heavy on

Word Forms

heavier comparative, more heavy comparative, more heavy comparative, heavied past tense, heavies plural, heavys plural, heavies singular, heaviest superlative, most heavy superlative, most heavy superlative

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The suitcase was too _____ to carry up the stairs.

Etymology

From Old English hefiġ, related to "heave" — something that requires effort to lift.

Synonyms

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sweer swear

Antonyms

light

Related Words

night kindle light substance swear deep dark serious

Rhymes for heavy

navy wavy Davy gravy

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