heavy

adjective (heavier, heaviest)

• 1of great weight; difficult to lift or move:a heavy and bulky load the pan was too heavy for me to carry
• used in questions about weight:how heavy is it?
• [attributive] (of a class of thing) above the average weight; large of its kind:heavy artillery heavy woollens
• [predic.] weighed down; full of something:branches heavy with blossoms
• (of a person’s head or eyes) feeling weighed down by weariness:a heavy head

• 2of great density; thick or substantial:heavy grey clouds heavy horn-rimmed glasses
• not delicate or graceful; coarse:he had a big moustache and heavy features
• (of food) hard to digest; too filling.
• (of ground or soil) muddy or full of clay.
• Physics of or containing atoms of an isotope of greater than the usual mass. See also heavy water.

• 3of more than the usual size, amount, or intensity:a heavy cold the traffic was heavy and I was delayed I fell into a heavy sleep
• (of a smell) very strong:a heavy scent of oil
• (heavy on) using a lot of:stories heavy on melodrama
• doing something more, or more deeply, than usual:a heavy smoker

• 4striking or falling with force:a heavy blow to the head we had heavy overnight rain
• (of music, especially rock) having a strong bass component and a forceful rhythm.

• 5needing much physical effort:heavy work like repairing pathways
• moving slowly or with difficulty:steering that is heavy when parking

• 6very important or serious:a heavy discussion
• (of a literary work) overly serious or difficult.
• mentally oppressive; hard to endure:a heavy burden of responsibility
• feeling or expressing sadness:I left him with a heavy heart
• informal serious or difficult to deal with:things were getting pretty heavy
• informal (of a person) strict or harsh:the police were really getting heavy
• informal excellent (used as a general term of approval).

noun (plural heavies)

• 1 informal a thing, such as a vehicle, that is large or heavy of its kind.
• a large, strong man, especially one hired for protection:I needed money to pay off the heavies
• (heavies) British informal serious newspapers:reporters from the Sunday heavies
• informal an important person:music business heavies

• 2 [mass noun] chiefly Scottish strong beer, especially bitter:a pint of heavy

adverb

• heavily:heavy-laden