heavyweight
noun
heavy·weight
ˈhe-vē-ˌwāt 
often attributive
1
: one that is above average in weight
2
: one in the usually heaviest class of contestants: such as
a
: a boxer in an unlimited weight division compare light heavyweight
b
: a weight lifter weighing more than 198 pounds
3
: one that possesses great power, prominence, or stature
Examples of heavyweight in a Sentence
Their company is one of the industry's heavyweights.
a heavyweight in the U.S. Senate, he has a lot of clout in judicial confirmations
Recent Examples on the Web
Yet a crew of Silicon Valley heavyweights managed to engineer a presidential walk-back — directly, not just through strategic appearances on Maria Bartiromo.
—
Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2025
Sector heavyweight NextEra Energy (NEE) is breaking out from a multi-year triangle pattern in a bullish long-term development.
—Katie Stockton, CNBC, 6 Oct. 2025
Why the disparity in box office results between the social media heavyweights?
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 4 Oct. 2025
Rountree shared his thoughts on how Pereira would perform as a heavyweight.
—Fernando Quiles Jr, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Oct. 2025
Guest stars on the series included Broadway heavyweights Kristin Chenoweth, Alan Cumming, Ariana DeBose, Jane Krakowski and Aaron Tveit, among others.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2025
The measure—authored by State Senator Scott Wiener—follows last year’s veto of a stricter bill that was roundly opposed by Silicon Valley heavyweights and AI companies.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2025
Signatories include some heavyweights in the space, such as Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform; David McIntosh, president of Club For Growth; and Brent Gardner, chief government affairs officer at Americans for Prosperity.
—Emily Brooks, The Hill, 30 Sep. 2025
The Tigers blocked a field goal as time expired to put an exclamation point on a signature win against a 4A heavyweight.
—Matt Schubert, Denver Post, 26 Sep. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2025
Sector heavyweight NextEra Energy (NEE) is breaking out from a multi-year triangle pattern in a bullish long-term development.
—Katie Stockton, CNBC, 6 Oct. 2025
Why the disparity in box office results between the social media heavyweights?
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 4 Oct. 2025
Rountree shared his thoughts on how Pereira would perform as a heavyweight.
—Fernando Quiles Jr, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Oct. 2025
Guest stars on the series included Broadway heavyweights Kristin Chenoweth, Alan Cumming, Ariana DeBose, Jane Krakowski and Aaron Tveit, among others.
—Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2025
The measure—authored by State Senator Scott Wiener—follows last year’s veto of a stricter bill that was roundly opposed by Silicon Valley heavyweights and AI companies.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2025
Signatories include some heavyweights in the space, such as Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform; David McIntosh, president of Club For Growth; and Brent Gardner, chief government affairs officer at Americans for Prosperity.
—Emily Brooks, The Hill, 30 Sep. 2025
The Tigers blocked a field goal as time expired to put an exclamation point on a signature win against a 4A heavyweight.
—Matt Schubert, Denver Post, 26 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Heavyweight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heavyweight. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
heavyweight
noun
heavy·weight
ˈhev-ē-ˌwāt
1
: one above average in weight
2
: one in the heaviest class of contestants
especially
: a boxer in an unlimited weight division
3
: someone or something that is very important or powerful
a company that is an industry heavyweight
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