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

After a fire, heavy metal particles can spread through ash and smoke over gardens and inhibit growth, said Olukayode Jegede, an agricultural toxicologist and assistant professor at UC Davis. — Christopher Buchanan, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026

Ozzy frequently sported the eyewear throughout his career as both a solo artist and frontman of the legendary heavy metal band Black Sabbath. — Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 3 July 2026

After learning of an evil rock promoter’s plan to use heavy metal to keep society sedated in a cycle of hedonistic pleasure, a stylish metallic alien arrives on Earth to save humanity and rock out! — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 2 July 2026

Foad adds that the idea of eliminating toxins comes from sweat washing away trace amounts of heavy metals from the skin, rather than flushing toxins from inside the body. — Alexandra Frost, USA Today, 1 July 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