heavyset

adjective

heavy·​set ˌhe-vē-ˈset How to pronounce heavyset (audio)
: stocky and compact and sometimes tending to stoutness in build

Examples of heavyset in a Sentence

has the heavyset build of a weight lifter
Recent Examples on the Web In the package that the district attorney sent to Hathaway, there was a grainy surveillance video of one of the previous attacks, which showed a heavyset white man approaching a man sleeping on the sidewalk, spraying him with a large canister and walking quickly away as the man writhed in pain. Jesse Barron, New York Times, 16 Nov. 2023 One, just over five feet tall and heavyset, was struggling to run fast, Malkit Singh said. Evan Hill, Washington Post, 25 Sep. 2023 Public appearances show Shafer to be taller and more heavyset than that, and with gray hair and brown eyes. Amy Gardner, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Aug. 2023 Tall and heavyset, Heuermann towered over the law enforcement officers who now surrounded him. Ray Sanchez, CNN, 16 July 2023 The sewer opened into a stretch of roadside shanty-shops, where a heavyset young man was waiting—G-Pep’s third-in-command. Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 17 July 2023 The man is described as dark-skinned in his 30s, heavyset with short black curly hair. Dallas News, 26 Nov. 2022 Detectives had yet to formally identify the suspect but said the suspect was a Hispanic male, heavyset, with a patchy beard and dark complexion. Jeremy Yurow, The Arizona Republic, 10 Oct. 2022 The five-passenger two-row electric SUV is heavyset, hitting the scales at 5819 pounds, almost 100 pounds heavier than our long-term Ram 1500. Scott Oldham, Car and Driver, 13 Jan. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'heavyset.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1859, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of heavyset was in 1859

Dictionary Entries Near heavyset

Cite this Entry

“Heavyset.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heavyset. Accessed 2 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

heavyset

adjective
heavy·​set ˌhev-ē-ˈset How to pronounce heavyset (audio)

More from Merriam-Webster on heavyset

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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