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
The scale of the impact will depend heavily on how long the conflict continues and whether shipping through the strait can resume safely.
—
Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 16 Mar. 2026
Smoking is heavily associated with poverty and less formal education, myriad studies have found.
—Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 15 Mar. 2026
Twelve Black Cask is a blend of grain and single malt whiskey that is matured in level 3 heavily charred first and second fill bourbon barrels.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 15 Mar. 2026
The writer relied heavily on the work of the Greek historian Plutarch to craft his play, and the real Caesar may have been given a similar warning before he was assassinated thousands of years ago.
—Kate Perez, USA Today, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for heavily
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Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 16 Mar. 2026
Smoking is heavily associated with poverty and less formal education, myriad studies have found.
—Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 15 Mar. 2026
Twelve Black Cask is a blend of grain and single malt whiskey that is matured in level 3 heavily charred first and second fill bourbon barrels.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 15 Mar. 2026
The writer relied heavily on the work of the Greek historian Plutarch to craft his play, and the real Caesar may have been given a similar warning before he was assassinated thousands of years ago.
—Kate Perez, USA Today, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for heavily
Cite this Entry
“Heavily.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heavily. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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