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
Boutros said the work didn’t end with the recent convictions of political heavyweights like Ald.
—
Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026
The first season attracted heavyweights like Martin Scorsese, Charlize Theron, Zoë Kravitz and Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, all playing themselves.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 7 Apr. 2026
In 2025 The Pitt won five Emmy Awards, including a surprise victory in best drama series, where the show beat such heavyweights as Apple TV+’s Severance and HBO’s The Last of Us and The White Lotus.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Apr. 2026
Even engineering heavyweights and frontier labs are losing ground as users are demanding more than hyperscalers are prepared to deliver—a tension that’s reached a boiling point as teams like OpenAI race to ship both breakthrough capabilities and unprecedented uncertainty at the same time.
—Sumeet Vaidya, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2026
Now, those two heavyweights are set to duke it out on Saturday night with a trip to the national championship game on the line.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 3 Apr. 2026
The contestants wonder if the mystery judges could be culinary heavyweights José Andrés, Thomas Keller or Marcus Samuelsson.
—Erin Clements, PEOPLE, 3 Apr. 2026
Hong Kong/Islamabad — As the war in the Gulf careens into its second month, dragging down the global economy with no off-ramp in sight, questions are deepening around what role China – a global heavyweight and diplomatic partner to Iran – is willing to play.
—Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 1 Apr. 2026
Unlike other international financial heavyweights like the IMF or the World Bank, the Paris Club lacks a legal mandate or statutes.
—Sven Van Mourik, The Dial, 31 Mar. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2026
The first season attracted heavyweights like Martin Scorsese, Charlize Theron, Zoë Kravitz and Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, all playing themselves.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 7 Apr. 2026
In 2025 The Pitt won five Emmy Awards, including a surprise victory in best drama series, where the show beat such heavyweights as Apple TV+’s Severance and HBO’s The Last of Us and The White Lotus.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Apr. 2026
Even engineering heavyweights and frontier labs are losing ground as users are demanding more than hyperscalers are prepared to deliver—a tension that’s reached a boiling point as teams like OpenAI race to ship both breakthrough capabilities and unprecedented uncertainty at the same time.
—Sumeet Vaidya, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2026
Now, those two heavyweights are set to duke it out on Saturday night with a trip to the national championship game on the line.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 3 Apr. 2026
The contestants wonder if the mystery judges could be culinary heavyweights José Andrés, Thomas Keller or Marcus Samuelsson.
—Erin Clements, PEOPLE, 3 Apr. 2026
Hong Kong/Islamabad — As the war in the Gulf careens into its second month, dragging down the global economy with no off-ramp in sight, questions are deepening around what role China – a global heavyweight and diplomatic partner to Iran – is willing to play.
—Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 1 Apr. 2026
Unlike other international financial heavyweights like the IMF or the World Bank, the Paris Club lacks a legal mandate or statutes.
—Sven Van Mourik, The Dial, 31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Heavyweight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heavyweight. Accessed 9 Apr. 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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