heavy metal

noun

1

: a metal of high specific gravity

2

: energetic and highly amplified electronic rock music having a hard beat

Borrowing elements of everything from grunge to progressive rock, from gospel to heavy metal …

—David Okamoto

Examples of heavy metal in a Sentence

He listens to heavy metal.

lead, gold, and other heavy metals

Recent Examples on the Web

Riz Ahmed stars in this moving indie drama as Ruben, a heavy metal drummer grappling with sudden hearing loss. —Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Jan. 2026

Positioned as more than a traditional festival, Hellbound has been pitched as a floating heavy metal community, bringing together live performances, themed events and onboard programming tailored specifically for metal fans. —Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 27 Jan. 2026

As another plus, atmospheric water is free of the contaminants often present in ground sources, such as heavy metals and nitrates. —Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 26 Jan. 2026

In the lead- and zinc-rich northeast, mining can release acidic drainage caused by oxidation of sulfide minerals, which can leach heavy metals from mining waste, contaminating waterways. —Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 23 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1864, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for heavy metal

• diacetyl
• betel
• cetyl
• kettle
• mettle
• nettle
• petal
• setal
• settle
• gunmetal
• nonmetal
• resettle