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

The British heavy metal band will play the Toyota Amphitheatre in Wheatland on April 20, 2027. — Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026

Cadmium is a heavy metal used in products including batteries and metal coatings. — Bilin Lin, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026

For a heavy metal band, this kind of publicity usually works in our favor. — Steve Appleford, SPIN, 15 Oct. 2026

Experts have also ruled out West Nile virus and heavy metals as factors that could have contributed to her death. — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1864, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for heavy metal

• diacetyl
• acetyl
• bimetal
• gunmetal
• nonmetal
• resettle
• teakettle
• unsettle
• betel
• cetyl
• kettle
• mettle