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 weekend festival will feature esteemed authors and cultural luminaries, spanning literary heavyweights, performers, celebrity authors, poets, politicians and journalists.
—
Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Air Force commit Joey Favia, a senior 285-pounder and state runner-up at heavyweight, praised Garcia for remaining focused but also having time for his teammates.
—Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 11 Mar. 2026
Season 2 will coincide with Netflix live streaming Fury’s fight with Russian heavyweight Arslanbek Makhmudov on April 11.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 11 Mar. 2026
This heavyweight, 250-gram Merino wool long-sleeve from REI is geared toward those who struggle to maintain their body heat during chilly conditions.
—Harry Spampinato, Travel + Leisure, 10 Mar. 2026
Juanes tapped fellow Colombian star Bomba Estéreo and Latin music heavyweight Mon Laferte, along with rising musicians like Venezuelan band Rawayana, Argentinian Conociendo Rusia, and Mexican singer Vivir Quintana.
—Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 6 Mar. 2026
The tech heavyweight will join Spotify and YouTube, which already are big platforms for watching podcast shows.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 6 Mar. 2026
Her moment of realization was heart-wrenching (and funny) and turned both into reality-TV heavyweights.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 5 Mar. 2026
Instead, the firm has leased portions of its campus to parties like investment heavyweight Vanguard.
—Nick Wooten, Dallas Morning News, 5 Mar. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Air Force commit Joey Favia, a senior 285-pounder and state runner-up at heavyweight, praised Garcia for remaining focused but also having time for his teammates.
—Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 11 Mar. 2026
Season 2 will coincide with Netflix live streaming Fury’s fight with Russian heavyweight Arslanbek Makhmudov on April 11.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 11 Mar. 2026
This heavyweight, 250-gram Merino wool long-sleeve from REI is geared toward those who struggle to maintain their body heat during chilly conditions.
—Harry Spampinato, Travel + Leisure, 10 Mar. 2026
Juanes tapped fellow Colombian star Bomba Estéreo and Latin music heavyweight Mon Laferte, along with rising musicians like Venezuelan band Rawayana, Argentinian Conociendo Rusia, and Mexican singer Vivir Quintana.
—Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 6 Mar. 2026
The tech heavyweight will join Spotify and YouTube, which already are big platforms for watching podcast shows.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 6 Mar. 2026
Her moment of realization was heart-wrenching (and funny) and turned both into reality-TV heavyweights.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 5 Mar. 2026
Instead, the firm has leased portions of its campus to parties like investment heavyweight Vanguard.
—Nick Wooten, Dallas Morning News, 5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Heavyweight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heavyweight. Accessed 12 Mar. 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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