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

And, as usual, that meant many people of color wound up living with hazardous chemicals and heavy metals as neighbors. — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026

Their early live shows were marked by ominous guitar riffs, blast beats, and gruesome antics onstage, feeding into the early signs of a new heavy metal subgenre that would become death metal. — Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 14 July 2026

Finally, Gosha calls his brother-in-law Kosyo (Ivan Barnev), a taxi driver-slash-heavy metal guitarist, to take them there. — Damon Wise, Deadline, 11 July 2026

As the group grew in fame and notoriety, their sound evolved, mixing heavy metal with more emotional, dynamic ballads. — Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 10 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