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
What the bill does The bill describes a new and significantly altered congressional map that, at the most basic level, splits up the state's most heavily urban areas and combines them with rural swaths in order to create nine Republican-advantaged seats and zero Democratic-advantaged seats.
—
Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 6 Dec. 2025
SpaceX has been investing heavily in reusable rockets, launch facilities and satellites, while competing for government contracts with newer space players, including Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin.
—Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 6 Dec. 2025
But first, fans will want to tune in for a four-fight prelim card that features no fewer than three lightweight bouts that promise to heavily impact the division.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2025
The mix of rain and light snow has left resorts like Northstar heavily dependent on snowmaking and left Truckee businesses in a holding pattern.
—Conor McGill, CBS News, 6 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heavily
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Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 6 Dec. 2025
SpaceX has been investing heavily in reusable rockets, launch facilities and satellites, while competing for government contracts with newer space players, including Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin.
—Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 6 Dec. 2025
But first, fans will want to tune in for a four-fight prelim card that features no fewer than three lightweight bouts that promise to heavily impact the division.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2025
The mix of rain and light snow has left resorts like Northstar heavily dependent on snowmaking and left Truckee businesses in a holding pattern.
—Conor McGill, CBS News, 6 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 8 Dec. 2025.
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