heavy ( heavier comparative) ( heaviest superlative) ( heavies plural )
1 adj Something that is heavy weighs a lot., (Antonym: light)
These scissors are awfully heavy..., The mud stuck to her boots, making her feet heavy and her legs tired.
♦
heaviness n-uncount
...a sensation of warmth and heaviness in the muscles.
2 adj You use heavy to ask or talk about how much someone or something weighs.
how ADJ, as ADJ as, ADJ-compar than
How heavy are you?..., Protons are nearly 2000 times as heavy as electrons.
3 adj Heavy means great in amount, degree, or intensity.
usu ADJ n
Heavy fighting has been going on..., He worried about her heavy drinking..., The traffic along Fitzjohn's Avenue was heavy.
♦
heavily adv ADV after v, ADV -ed/adj
It has been raining heavily all day.
♦
heaviness n-uncount
...the heaviness of the blood loss.
4 adj Someone or something that is heavy is solid in appearance or structure, or is made of a thick material., (Antonym: light)
He was short and heavy...
♦
heavily adv ADV -ed
He was a big man of about forty, wide-shouldered and heavily built.
5 adj A heavy meal is large in amount and often difficult to digest.
(=filling) (Antonym: light)
He had been feeling drowsy, the effect of an unusually heavy meal.
6 adj Something that is heavy with things is full of them or loaded with them.
LITERARY v-link ADJ with n
(=laden)
The air is heavy with moisture...
7 adj If a person's breathing is heavy, it is very loud and deep., (Antonym: light, shallow)
Her breathing became slow and heavy.
♦
heavily adv ADV after v
She sank back on the pillow and closed her eyes, breathing heavily as if asleep.
8 adj A heavy movement or action is done with a lot of force or pressure.
ADJ n (Antonym: gentle)
...a heavy blow on the back of the skull...
♦
heavily adv ADV after v (Antonym: gently)
I sat down heavily on the ground beside the road...
9 adj A heavy machine or piece of military equipment is very large and very powerful.
ADJ n
...government militia backed by tanks and heavy artillery.
10 adj If you describe a period of time or a schedule as heavy, you mean it involves a lot of work.
usu ADJ n
(=busy)
It's been a heavy day and I'm tired...
11 adj Heavy work requires a lot of strength or energy.
usu ADJ n
The business is thriving and Philippa employs two full-timers for the heavy work.
12 adj If you say that something is heavy on another thing, you mean that it uses a lot of that thing or too much of that thing.
v-link ADJ on n
Tanks are heavy on fuel and destructive to roads.
13 adj Air or weather that is heavy is unpleasantly still, hot, and damp.
(=oppressive)
The outside air was heavy and moist and sultry.
14 adj If your heart is heavy, you are sad about something.
LITERARY, Antonym: light Mr Maddison handed over his resignation letter with a heavy heart.
15 adj A situation that is heavy is serious and difficult to cope with.
INFORMAL
(=serious)
I don't want any more of that heavy stuff.
16 n-count A heavy is a large strong man who is employed to protect a person or place, often by using violence.
INFORMAL They had employed heavies to evict shop squatters from neighbouring sites.
17
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to make heavy weather of something
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weather
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a heavy hand
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hand