heavy lifting

noun

: a burdensome or laborious duty

Examples of heavy lifting in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But with Maiava doing most of the heavy lifting, USC barely needed its backfield. — Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026

Five excavators, compressors and breakers were doing the heavy lifting to bring rescuers closer to any possible survival zone. — Bhadra Sharma, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026

The activity does the heavy lifting that small talk used to carry. — Ashley Lynch, Sacbee.com, 3 Sep. 2026

The instruments do the heavy lifting, giving you both something to react to without forcing small talk. — Ashley Lynch, Charlotte Observer, 3 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1980, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for heavy lifting

• drifting
• gifting
• rifting
• shifting
• sifting
• shoplifting
• uplifting