heavy
heavy [heavy heavies heavied heavying heavier heaviest] adjective, noun, adverb BrE [ˈhevi] NAmE [ˈhevi]
adjective (heav·ier, heavi·est)
WEIGHING A LOT
1. weighing a lot; difficult to lift or move
• She was struggling with a heavy suitcase.
• My brother is much heavier than me.
•He tried to push the heavy door open.
•How heavy is it (= how much does it weigh)?
• (especially NAmE)Many young people today are too heavy (= fat).
• (figurative)Her father carried a heavy burden of responsibility.
Opp: ↑light
WORSE THAN USUAL
2. more or worse than usual in amount, degree, etc
•the noise of heavy traffic
•heavy frost/rain/snow
•the effects of heavy drinking
• There was heavy fighting in the capital last night.
• The penalty for speeding can be a heavy fine.
•She spoke with heavy irony.
Opp: ↑light
NOT DELICATE
3. (of sb/sth's appearance or structure)large and solid; not delicate
•big, dark rooms full of heavy furniture
• He was tall and strong, with heavy features.
MATERIAL
4. (of the material or substance that sth is made of)thick
•heavy curtains
•a heavy coat
Opp: ↑light
FULL OF STH
5. ~ with sth (literary)full of or loaded with sth
•trees heavy with apples
• The air was heavy with the scent of flowers.
•His voice was heavy with sarcasm.
•She was heavy with child (= pregnant).
MACHINES
6. usually before noun (of machines, vehicles or weapons)large and powerful
•a wide range of engines and heavy machinery
•heavy lorries/trucks
BUSY
7. usually before noun involving a lot of work or activity; very busy
•a heavy schedule
• She'd had a heavy day.
WORK
8. hard, especially because it requires a lot of physical strength
•heavy digging/lifting
FALL/HIT
9. falling or hitting sth with a lot of force
•a heavy fall/blow
MEAL/FOOD
10. large in amount or very solid
•a heavy lunch/dinner
•a heavy cake
• Avoid heavy foods that are difficult to digest.
Opp: ↑light
DRINKER/SMOKER/SLEEPER
11. only before noun (of a person)doing the thing mentioned more, or more deeply, than usual
•a heavy drinker/smoker
•a heavy sleeper
SOUND
12. (of a sound that sb makes)loud and deep
•heavy breathing/snoring
•a heavy groan/sigh
USING A LOT
13. ~ on sth (informal)using a lot of sth
• Older cars are heavy on gas.
•Don't go so heavy on the garlic.
SERIOUS/DIFFICULT
14. (usually disapproving) (of a book, programme, style, etc.)serious; difficult to understand or enjoy
• We found the play very heavy.
• The discussion got a little heavy.
SEA/OCEAN
15. dangerous because of big waves, etc
•strong winds and heavy seas
AIR/WEATHER
16. hot and lacking fresh air, in a way that is unpleasant
•It's very heavy— I think there'll be a storm.
SOIL
17. wet, sticky and difficult to dig or to move over
STRICT
18. (of a person)very strict and severe
•Don't be so heavy on her— it wasn't her fault.
more at have a (heavy) cross to bear at ↑cross n., take a heavy toll (on sb/sth)take its toll (on sb/sth) at ↑toll n.
Word Origin:
Old English hefig, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch hevig, also to ↑heave.
Thesaurus:
heavy adj.
•The box was too heavy to lift.
bulky • • massive • |physics dense •
Opp: light
a heavy/bulky item/object
Example Bank:
•Her car's very heavy on petrol.
•I didn't find it too heavy to carry.
•My suitcase was beginning to feel very heavy.
•Paul tends to go quite heavy on the garlic.
•She felt her eyelids growing heavy= she was getting sleepy.
•The bottles of wine made the bag even heavier.
•The rain was getting quite heavy.
•The traffic's really heavy on the bypass.
•Things were starting to get a bit heavy so I decided to leave.
•You're getting too heavy to carry!
•A gardener comes in to do the heavy work for me.
•He was tall and strong with heavy features.
•How heavy is it?
•Several sailors drowned in heavy seas off the eastern coast.
•The heavy Atlantic swells pounded the beach.
•The suitcase was too heavy for me to carry.
•a wide range of engines and heavy machinery
•heavy digging/lifting
•heavy goods vehicles
Idioms: ↑get heavy ▪ ↑heavy going ▪ ↑heavy hand ▪ ↑heavy heart ▪ ↑heavy mob ▪ ↑heavy silence ▪ ↑lie heavy ▪ ↑make heavy weather of something
Derived Word: ↑heaviness
noun (pl. heavies)
1. countable (informal)a large strong man whose job is to protect a person or place, often using violence
2. uncountable (ScotE)strong beer, especially bitter
•a pint of heavy
Word Origin:
Old English hefig, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch hevig, also to ↑heave.
Example Bank:
•He lunged at the minister, but was soon pulled to the ground by a couple of heavies.
adverb
Word Origin:
Old English hefig, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch hevig, also to ↑heave.
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