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
industry heavyweights
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
The ‘90s alternative rock heavyweights touted a global live return in 2020, but those plans were crushed by pandemic.
—
Lars Brandle, Billboard, 25 Feb. 2026
While she wasn’t named Liam, Bulldog heavyweight Robin Moore, a sophomore, also earned a bronze medal with her third place finish in the girls’ championships at Eastlake High, sweeping up the final state qualifying spot.
—Steve Brand, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Feb. 2026
Last year’s iteration included heavyweights such as Mastercard, Stripe and Visa, as well as many newer scaleups.
—Tasmin Lockwood, CNBC, 24 Feb. 2026
Reaffirming their ability to grind out wins against fellow WSL heavyweights is crucial.
—Cerys Jones, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2026
Marmion produced three state runners-up in junior Colton Wyller (36-10 at 106) and seniors Ashton Hobson (28-3 at 150) and Joey Favia (41-6 at heavyweight).
—Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026
Stockton didn’t lose in his final two high school seasons, and capped his run with an exclamation point on Saturday at Ball Arena via a third-period pin of Mullen’s Champion Dyes to claim a second consecutive Class 3A heavyweight title.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 22 Feb. 2026
Elsewhere in the shopping arcade, culinary heavyweights like Wolfgang Puck, Gordon Ramsay, and Daniel Boulud lend their names to additional restaurants.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Feb. 2026
Bores, once an engineer at Palantir (the AI company involved in helping ICE), has earned the ire of his former bosses, and other tech bro heavyweights, by forcefully campaigning on regulation.
—Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026
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Lars Brandle, Billboard, 25 Feb. 2026
While she wasn’t named Liam, Bulldog heavyweight Robin Moore, a sophomore, also earned a bronze medal with her third place finish in the girls’ championships at Eastlake High, sweeping up the final state qualifying spot.
—Steve Brand, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Feb. 2026
Last year’s iteration included heavyweights such as Mastercard, Stripe and Visa, as well as many newer scaleups.
—Tasmin Lockwood, CNBC, 24 Feb. 2026
Reaffirming their ability to grind out wins against fellow WSL heavyweights is crucial.
—Cerys Jones, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2026
Marmion produced three state runners-up in junior Colton Wyller (36-10 at 106) and seniors Ashton Hobson (28-3 at 150) and Joey Favia (41-6 at heavyweight).
—Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026
Stockton didn’t lose in his final two high school seasons, and capped his run with an exclamation point on Saturday at Ball Arena via a third-period pin of Mullen’s Champion Dyes to claim a second consecutive Class 3A heavyweight title.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 22 Feb. 2026
Elsewhere in the shopping arcade, culinary heavyweights like Wolfgang Puck, Gordon Ramsay, and Daniel Boulud lend their names to additional restaurants.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Feb. 2026
Bores, once an engineer at Palantir (the AI company involved in helping ICE), has earned the ire of his former bosses, and other tech bro heavyweights, by forcefully campaigning on regulation.
—Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Heavyweight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heavyweight. Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.
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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