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

Lead Safe Mama had reported that Hiya vitamins tested positive in a lab result for lead and other heavy metals weeks before the anonymous attacks against her. — Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2026

But these sites also come with dangers, as demonstrated by the massive Moss Landing battery fire in January 2025, which prompted the evacuation of about 1,500 residents and deposited heavy metals in a nearby estuary. — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026

The minute-long trailer for the film documenting late heavy metal icon Ozzy Osbourne‘s final show is packed with emotion, tension, tears and, of course, the indomitable spirit of the Blizzard of Ozz himself. — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 24 Sep. 2026

Bumblebees absorb two to seven times the proportion of heavy metals that honeybees do in the same environment. — J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 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