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

Rabanne, which has built an entire brand and silhouette around heavy metal. — Julissa James, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026

No batch testing for heavy metals or microbiological content. — Geri Stengel, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026

This time, though, there’s more heavy metal influence — more guitar, more drums, more church organ, more attitude — to complement Cathedral’s grim tale. — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 9 Aug. 2026

Heavy metals Hynek noted that Martian dust is known to contain various carcinogens, such as silica and numerous heavy metals. — Leonard David, Space.com, 5 Aug. 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