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
As 2025 comes to a close, Addison Rae can update her resume to read pop artist, film star, TikTok heavyweight and now festival headliner.
—
Lars Brandle, Billboard, 31 Dec. 2025
His new restaurant could steal thunder from entrenched downtown Boise heavyweights such as local icon Chandlers and national conglomerate Ruth’s Chris.
—Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 31 Dec. 2025
Maria Shriver, her mom's cousin, returned to social media to pay tribute, two weeks after the deaths of her friends and Hollywood heavyweights Rob and Michele Singer Reiner.
—Jay Stahl, USA Today, 31 Dec. 2025
Its customers include hyperscale heavyweights including Apple and Microsoft, according to Bloomberg.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 31 Dec. 2025
Korea's rally has been driven by its technology heavyweights.
—Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 31 Dec. 2025
The category, which also includes models from heavyweights like Google and Huawei, still accounts for less than 2% of global phone sales, according to IDC data.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 30 Dec. 2025
British heavyweight and Olympic gold medalist Anthony Joshua was in a speeding Lexus and survived a crash Monday morning in Nigeria that killed two other people, authorities said.
—David K. Li, NBC news, 29 Dec. 2025
Going public would put SpaceX in the company of older, traditional aerospace heavyweights, such as Boeing and Northrop Grumman, and industry upstarts, such as Rocket Lab and Firefly Aerospace.
—Ramin Skibba, Scientific American, 26 Dec. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Lars Brandle, Billboard, 31 Dec. 2025
His new restaurant could steal thunder from entrenched downtown Boise heavyweights such as local icon Chandlers and national conglomerate Ruth’s Chris.
—Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 31 Dec. 2025
Maria Shriver, her mom's cousin, returned to social media to pay tribute, two weeks after the deaths of her friends and Hollywood heavyweights Rob and Michele Singer Reiner.
—Jay Stahl, USA Today, 31 Dec. 2025
Its customers include hyperscale heavyweights including Apple and Microsoft, according to Bloomberg.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 31 Dec. 2025
Korea's rally has been driven by its technology heavyweights.
—Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 31 Dec. 2025
The category, which also includes models from heavyweights like Google and Huawei, still accounts for less than 2% of global phone sales, according to IDC data.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 30 Dec. 2025
British heavyweight and Olympic gold medalist Anthony Joshua was in a speeding Lexus and survived a crash Monday morning in Nigeria that killed two other people, authorities said.
—David K. Li, NBC news, 29 Dec. 2025
Going public would put SpaceX in the company of older, traditional aerospace heavyweights, such as Boeing and Northrop Grumman, and industry upstarts, such as Rocket Lab and Firefly Aerospace.
—Ramin Skibba, Scientific American, 26 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Heavyweight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heavyweight. Accessed 4 Jan. 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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