1
: to a great degree : severely
The building was heavily damaged.
The decision weighs heavily on my mind. [=is very difficult and worrisome]
2
: slowly and laboriously : dully
sighed heavily
3
archaic
: with sorrow : grievously
4
: in a heavy manner
sat down heavily
Examples of heavily in a Sentence
He relies heavily on his wife for advice.
These artists borrow heavily from Picasso.
Our flowers were heavily damaged by a late spring frost.
She drank and smoked heavily for years.
He sat down heavily on the couch.
He was leaning heavily on the table.
She sighed heavily then said “Okay, I'll do it.”
Recent Examples on the Web
This configuration appears to be a temporary installation, seemingly aimed at converting the merchant vessel into a heavily armed surface combatant, reported SCMP.
—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 27 Dec. 2025
In elevators, on lines or public transport, in office hallways, during coffee breaks, at parties—anywhere silence weighs more heavily than the lightness of a casual remark.
—Jeanne Ballion, Vogue, 27 Dec. 2025
But critics point to heavily restricted access to energy via the national grid and slow-moving buildouts as signs the country is at risk of lagging further behind global rivals in the AI race.
—Kai Nicol-Schwarz, CNBC, 27 Dec. 2025
And yes, that includes free or heavily discounted entry to some of the world’s best museums.
—Lauren David, Travel + Leisure, 27 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heavily
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 27 Dec. 2025
In elevators, on lines or public transport, in office hallways, during coffee breaks, at parties—anywhere silence weighs more heavily than the lightness of a casual remark.
—Jeanne Ballion, Vogue, 27 Dec. 2025
But critics point to heavily restricted access to energy via the national grid and slow-moving buildouts as signs the country is at risk of lagging further behind global rivals in the AI race.
—Kai Nicol-Schwarz, CNBC, 27 Dec. 2025
And yes, that includes free or heavily discounted entry to some of the world’s best museums.
—Lauren David, Travel + Leisure, 27 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heavily
Cite this Entry
“Heavily.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heavily. Accessed 4 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share