4 ADJ Someone or something that is heavy is solid in appearance or structure, or is made of a thick material. □ He was short and heavy. ● heavi|ly 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. □ He had been feeling drowsy, the effect of an unusually heavy meal.
6 ADJ [v-link ADJ with n] Something that is heavy with things is full of them or loaded with them. [LITERARY ] □ The air is heavy with moisture.
7 ADJ If a person's breathing is heavy , it is very loud and deep. □ Her breathing became slow and heavy. ● heavi|ly ADV [ADV after v] □ She sank back on the pillow and closed her eyes, breathing heavily as if asleep.
8 ADJ [ADJ n] A heavy movement or action is done with a lot of force or pressure. □ …a heavy blow on the back of the skull. ● heavi|ly ADV [ADV after v] □ I sat down heavily on the ground beside the road.
9 ADJ [ADJ n] A heavy machine or piece of military equipment is very large and very powerful. □ …government militia backed by tanks and heavy artillery.
10 ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you describe a period of time or a schedule as heavy , you mean it involves a lot of work. □ It's been a heavy day and I'm tired.
11 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Heavy work requires a lot of strength or energy. □ 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. □ [+ on ] Tanks are heavy on fuel and destructive to roads.
13 ADJ Air or weather that is heavy is unpleasantly still, hot, and damp. □ The outside air was heavy and moist and sultry.
14 ADJ If your heart is heavy , you are sad about something. [LITERARY ] □ 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 ] □ 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 to make heavy weather of something → see weather
18 a heavy hand → see hand ➊
hea vy crea m N‑UNCOUNT Heavy cream is very thick cream. [AM ] in BRIT, use double cream
hea vy-du ty ADJ [usu ADJ n] A heavy-duty piece of equipment is very strong and can be used a lot. □ …a heavy duty polythene bag.
hea vy-ha nded ADJ If you say that someone's behaviour is heavy-handed , you mean that they are too forceful or too rough. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ …heavy-handed police tactics.
hea vy i n|dus|try (heavy industries ) N‑VAR Heavy industry is industry in which large machines are used to produce raw materials or to make large objects.
hea vy me t|al (heavy metals )
1 N‑UNCOUNT [oft N n] Heavy metal is a type of very loud rock music with a fast beat. □ …the drummer for a heavy metal band.
2 N‑COUNT A heavy metal is a metallic element with a high density. Many heavy metals are poisonous. [TECHNICAL ]
hea vy-se t ADJ Someone who is heavy-set has a large solid body.
heavy|weight /he viwe I t/ (heavyweights )
1 N‑COUNT A heavyweight is a boxer weighing more than 175 pounds and therefore in the heaviest class.
2 N‑COUNT If you refer to a person or organization as a heavyweight , you mean that they have a lot of influence, experience, and importance in a particular field, subject, or activity. □ He was a political heavyweight.
He|brew /hiː bruː/
1 N‑UNCOUNT Hebrew is a language that was spoken by Jews in former times. A modern form of Hebrew is spoken now in Israel. □ He is a fluent speaker of Hebrew.
2 ADJ Hebrew means belonging to or relating to the Hebrew language or people. □ …the respected Hebrew newspaper Haaretz.
heck /he k/
1 EXCLAM People sometimes say ' heck! ' when they are slightly irritated or surprised. [INFORMAL , FEELINGS ] □ Heck, if you don't like it, don't vote for him.
2 PHRASE People use a heck of to emphasize how big something is or how much of it there is. [INFORMAL , EMPHASIS ] □ They're spending a heck of a lot of money. □ The truth is, I'm in one heck of a mess.
3 PHRASE You use the heck in expressions such as ' what the heck ' and ' how the heck ' in order to emphasize a question, especially when you are puzzled or annoyed. [INFORMAL , EMPHASIS ] □ What the heck's that? □ The question was, where the heck was he?
4 PHRASE You say ' what the heck ' to indicate that you do not care about a bad aspect of an action or situation. [INFORMAL , FEELINGS ] □ What the heck, I thought, I'll give it a whirl.
heck|le /he k ə l/ (heckles , heckling , heckled ) VERB If people in an audience heckle public speakers or performers, they interrupt them, for example by making rude remarks. □ [V n] They heckled him and interrupted his address with angry questions. □ [V ] A small group of youths stayed behind to heckle and shout abuse. ● N‑COUNT Heckle is also a noun. □ The offending comment was in fact a heckle from an audience member. ● heck|ling N‑UNCOUNT □ The ceremony was disrupted by unprecedented heckling and slogan-chanting. ● heck|ler /he klə r / (hecklers ) N‑COUNT □ As he began his speech, a heckler called out asking for his opinion on gun control.