heavy hand
noun
—used to say that something has been done without delicacy or with too much force
a cook who has a heavy hand with the salt
went at the task with a heavy hand
Examples of heavy hand in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Taiwan’s increasing talk of independence — the separatist Democratic Progressive party won a third term in January — was fueled in part by the Chinese Communist government’s heavy hand in Hong Kong, and has infuriated Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
—
Peter Green, Quartz, 11 May 2024
Popular media has played a heavy hand in influencing names.
—Simmone Shah, TIME, 10 May 2024
Next, the formula must be checked against the latest restrictions from the International Fragrance Association, which regulates fragrance ingredients (with a heavy hand, and to the annoyance of seemingly all independent perfumers).
—Molly Young, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2024
Kim is touting a grassroots campaign in the primary, while Murphy, a former Republican with immense personal wealth, is flexing her connections to some of the state's power brokers, who have a heavy hand in shaping local races, including through helping set the ballot order.
—Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 14 Mar. 2024
Young Chinese, fed up with family pressure, opt out of Lunar New Year
Prominent voices within China are warning that Xi’s policies favoring the heavy hand of state intervention have gone too far and are dampening innovation.
—Christian Shepherd, Washington Post, 5 Mar. 2024
Whether that’s ultimately due to the underlying material or the heavy hand brought to translating it, the net effect is a failure to launch.
—Brian Lowry, CNN, 23 Feb. 2024
My greenwash inoculations are needed more than ever with the heavy hand of regulation about to drop on unsubstantiated eco claims.
—Solitaire Townsend, Forbes, 11 Feb. 2024
Throughout those years, the military has wielded ultimate authority, guiding its politics behind a veil of secrecy, and civilian leaders have typically risen to power only with its support — or been driven from office by its heavy hand.
—Christina Goldbaum, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2024
Peter Green, Quartz, 11 May 2024
Popular media has played a heavy hand in influencing names.
—Simmone Shah, TIME, 10 May 2024
Next, the formula must be checked against the latest restrictions from the International Fragrance Association, which regulates fragrance ingredients (with a heavy hand, and to the annoyance of seemingly all independent perfumers).
—Molly Young, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2024
Kim is touting a grassroots campaign in the primary, while Murphy, a former Republican with immense personal wealth, is flexing her connections to some of the state's power brokers, who have a heavy hand in shaping local races, including through helping set the ballot order.
—Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 14 Mar. 2024
Young Chinese, fed up with family pressure, opt out of Lunar New Year
Prominent voices within China are warning that Xi’s policies favoring the heavy hand of state intervention have gone too far and are dampening innovation.
—Christian Shepherd, Washington Post, 5 Mar. 2024
Whether that’s ultimately due to the underlying material or the heavy hand brought to translating it, the net effect is a failure to launch.
—Brian Lowry, CNN, 23 Feb. 2024
My greenwash inoculations are needed more than ever with the heavy hand of regulation about to drop on unsubstantiated eco claims.
—Solitaire Townsend, Forbes, 11 Feb. 2024
Throughout those years, the military has wielded ultimate authority, guiding its politics behind a veil of secrecy, and civilian leaders have typically risen to power only with its support — or been driven from office by its heavy hand.
—Christina Goldbaum, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'heavy hand.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near heavy hand
Cite this Entry
“Heavy hand.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heavy%20hand. Accessed 17 May. 2024.
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