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
But as the Silicon Valley heavyweight’s chips are increasingly posing a threat to Nvidia, the AI player is taking note, according to Paul Meeks, head of tech research at Freedom Capital Markets.
—
Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 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
This is another heavyweight NBA fight.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 24 Dec. 2025
In The Beast In Me, these two heavyweights come together for some of the best TV of the year.
—Kathleen Newman-Bremang, Refinery29, 22 Dec. 2025
Later in the period, Jeannot locked up with fellow heavyweight Kurtis MacDermid but before any blows were landed, MacDermid lost his footing.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 22 Dec. 2025
Governments are lobbying heavyweights Cities aren’t the only government entities employing private lobbyists in California, and their spending is just a piece of a much larger pie.
—Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 22 Dec. 2025
Meanwhile, heavyweight Ross Johnston has been more than a pugilist for the Ducks, posting career highs in assists and points before the halfway mark of the campaign.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 21 Dec. 2025
Japanese entertainment heavyweight Toho is stepping up its global expansion, unveiling plans Friday to establish a European headquarters while acquiring British anime distributor Anime Limited and entering into a strategic alliance with Germany’s Plaion Pictures.
—Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 19 Dec. 2025
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Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 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
This is another heavyweight NBA fight.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 24 Dec. 2025
In The Beast In Me, these two heavyweights come together for some of the best TV of the year.
—Kathleen Newman-Bremang, Refinery29, 22 Dec. 2025
Later in the period, Jeannot locked up with fellow heavyweight Kurtis MacDermid but before any blows were landed, MacDermid lost his footing.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 22 Dec. 2025
Governments are lobbying heavyweights Cities aren’t the only government entities employing private lobbyists in California, and their spending is just a piece of a much larger pie.
—Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 22 Dec. 2025
Meanwhile, heavyweight Ross Johnston has been more than a pugilist for the Ducks, posting career highs in assists and points before the halfway mark of the campaign.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 21 Dec. 2025
Japanese entertainment heavyweight Toho is stepping up its global expansion, unveiling plans Friday to establish a European headquarters while acquiring British anime distributor Anime Limited and entering into a strategic alliance with Germany’s Plaion Pictures.
—Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 19 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Heavyweight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heavyweight. Accessed 31 Dec. 2025.
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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