heavy

heav|y1 [ `hevi ] adjective ***

▸ 1 with a lot of weight

▸ 2 many things

▸ 3 with physical effort

▸ 4 showing anger

▸ 5 smell: sweet & strong

▸ 6 not attractive

▸ 7 with a lot of force etc.

▸ 8 uncomfortable or tired

▸ 9 very severe

▸ 10 serious/difficult

▸ 11 noise: deep and low

▸ 12 warm and unpleasant

▸ 13 ocean: big waves

▸ 14 food: too solid

▸ 15 ground: wet

▸ 16 sad feeling

▸ + PHRASES

1. ) a heavy object weighs a lot:

She was struggling with a heavy suitcase.

Careful, that box is pretty heavy.

You should soon be able to train with the heavier weights.

a big heavy door

too heavy: He was a big man, too heavy for the nurses to lift.

a ) heavy clothes, shoes, or materials are thick and strong:

a heavy black overcoat

heavy silk curtains

b ) used when talking about how much someone or something weighs:

The box was heavier than I'd expected.

how heavy?: How heavy is the parcel?

c ) heavy machines, vehicles, or weapons are large and powerful:

Do not operate any heavy machinery while taking these medicines.

─ opposite LIGHT

2. ) used for saying that there is a lot of something:

Traffic is particularly heavy on the interstate tonight.

He had a very heavy workload.

The school places a heavy emphasis on children's musical development.

heavy rain/snow: Weather conditions were appalling, with heavy rain and strong winds.

heavy reliance on: Her book shows a heavy reliance on the work of Dr. Winston.

a ) used for saying that something involves a lot of people, things, or money:

heavy casualties: The conflict caused heavy casualties on both sides.

heavy losses: The company's heavy losses will lead to many redundancies.

b ) heavy smoker/drinker someone who smokes a lot, or who drinks a lot of alcohol

c ) INFORMAL using or containing a lot of something:

heavy on: The main course was very heavy on the garlic.

d ) MAINLY LITERARY containing a lot of something:

heavy with: Her voice was heavy with sarcasm.

The air was heavy with all the scents of summer.

3. ) involving a lot of physical effort:

They did most of the heavy work in the cool of the morning.

The steering on this car is much heavier than on the other one.

─ opposite LIGHT

4. ) a heavy silence is not comfortable because there is a feeling of anger between people

5. ) a heavy smell is sweet and strong

6. ) used about things that look ugly because they are big:

heavy features (=large mouth, eyes, and nose): He was a tall dark man, with heavy features.

a ) used about a way of moving that is slow and not graceful:

He broke into a heavy loping run.

7. ) using a lot of bombs, guns, or other weapons:

Industrial areas came under heavy bombardment.

reports of heavy air strikes on the capital

heavy fighting: Heavy fighting erupted yesterday.

a ) a heavy BLOW is done with a lot of physical force:

He received a heavy blow to the head.

b ) involving a strong force, especially in a downward direction:

heavy footsteps/tread: She could hear Bill's heavy footsteps upstairs.

heavy fall: Her father's had a heavy fall.

heavy sigh: His mother gave a heavy sigh of disapproval.

8. ) if a part of your body feels heavy, it is not comfortable and you cannot move it easily:

His legs felt as heavy as concrete.

a ) if your eyes look heavy, they have a sad or tired expression

9. ) very severe:

She's paid a heavy price for her stupidity.

heavy cold: He's got a heavy cold and is feeling terrible.

heavy load/burden/responsibility etc: Her sadness was a heavy burden for him to bear.

10. ) INFORMAL serious and difficult:

I found his new book a bit heavy.

Her speech was heavy stuff, with references to philosophy and psychology.

1

a ) a heavy situation or relationship is serious and often not enjoyable:

She felt their relationship was getting too heavy.

We don't want any heavy stuff (=anything serious or complicated).

1

b ) heavy date HUMOROUS an important date with a girlfriend or boyfriend

1

c ) heavy going something that is heavy going is difficult to achieve or understand:

It was heavy going keeping him interested.

1

d ) make heavy weather of something to make a situation or job more difficult than it really is

1

e ) INFORMAL serious and threatening:

Things were getting a little heavy, so I quickly left.

11. ) a heavy noise is deep and low:

There was a heavy thud as his body hit the floor.

12. ) if the air is heavy, it is warm in a sticky unpleasant way, especially before rain or a storm

1

a ) MAINLY LITERARY if the sky is heavy, or the clouds are heavy, the sky is dark and it looks as though it will rain

13. ) MAINLY LITERARY a heavy ocean is rough with big waves:

The ship went down in heavy sailing conditions off the coast of Norway.

14. ) food that is heavy is solid and not enjoyable

1

a ) a heavy meal is a little too large and you seem to feel it in your stomach for a long time after you have eaten it

─ opposite LIGHT

15. ) ground that is heavy is wet and MUDDY, so it is difficult to walk or travel over it

1

a ) heavy soil sticks together and is difficult to dig into

─ opposite LIGHT

16. ) MAINLY LITERARY if your heart is heavy, you feel sad:

He went away with a heavy heart.

heavy with blossom MAINLY LITERARY

a tree that is heavy with blossom is covered with flowers

heavy with child

an old way of saying that a woman is pregnant and her baby will be born soon

heav|y2 [ `hevi ] noun count INFORMAL

1. ) a large strong man whose job is to protect someone

a ) a large strong man who is paid to persuade someone to do something by using violence or threats

2. ) an important or powerful person

3. ) usually plural a serious newspaper: BROADSHEET

heav|y3 [ `hevi ] adverb

be/lie/weigh heavy on LITERARY

to make you feel continuously worried or uncomfortable:

Guilt lay heavy on his shoulders.

time lies/hangs heavy on your hands LITERARY

used for saying that time passes slowly, so that you feel bored and impatient