heftier; heftiest
1
: quite heavy
2
a
: marked by bigness, bulk, and usually strength
a hefty football player
c
: impressively large : substantial
hefty portions
heftily adverb
heftiness noun

Examples of hefty in a Sentence

He was a tall, hefty man. Her boss gave her a hefty raise. a hefty dose of irony He gave the door a hefty kick.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Cruise’s Top Gun sequel earned a hefty $160.5 in its opening frame in 2022. Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 24 May 2025 In the wake of multiple bullpen injuries, the Kansas City Royals received a hefty lift from a group of young relievers. Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 24 May 2025 In light of San Diego’s hefty projected budget deficit, local groups are getting creative to try to get their projects on the city docket or to fund things themselves. Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 May 2025 Bloomberg reported that Trump has doubled his net-worth to $5.7 billion since kicking off his re-election campaign several years ago through a blend of deal making, real estate projects, and hefty sales from his crypto ventures. Joseph Zeballos-Roig, Quartz, 23 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for hefty

Word History

First Known Use

1863, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of hefty was in 1863

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hefty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hefty. Accessed 28 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

hefty

adjective
heftier; heftiest
heftily adverb
heftiness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on hefty

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!