heavy

If a thing or a person weighs a lot, you can use the word "heavy."

• He has to carry this heavy suitcase to his hotel room.
• How heavy are those boxes? They look heavy.
• I’ve gotten a little heavier since last year. (The word "heavy" is a good alternative to the word "fat.")
• Bob is very heavy. He weighs over 300 pounds.
• Lifting heavy weights will help you build your muscles.

The word "heavy" is used for a few things other than weight:

• He has some very heavy responsibilities in his job. (heavy = big)
• We have a heavy workload today. (There’s a lot of work that must be done.)
• I have a heavy schedule this morning. (I’m really busy.)
• The Clintons are heavy hitters in the Democratic Party. (heavy hitter = a person with a lot of power or influence)
• Vincent likes to listen to heavy metal music. (This is a type of rock’n’roll music. It’s fast and loud!)

Note: If you have trouble with the "v" sound, click here to listen to it and practice pronunciation.

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This page was first published on September 29, 2012. It was updated on August 9, 2015.