heavy hand
noun
—used to say that something has been done without delicacy or with too much force
a cook who has a heavy hand with the salt
went at the task with a heavy hand
Examples of heavy hand in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In the East, that means obliterating the recent past and starting anew in pursuit of communist utopian dreams under the already alarmingly heavy hand of the Russians.
—
Alison Willmore, Vulture, 15 May 2026
The technique is dead simple (all by hand) and takes a delightfully heavy hand with spices.
—The Bon Appétit Staff, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 May 2026
But other conservatives, including Senator Ted Cruz, objected to the heavy hand of government approach.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 2026
Where Democrats see a heavy hand, Republicans see owners trying to balance the scales.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 22 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for heavy hand
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.
Alison Willmore, Vulture, 15 May 2026
The technique is dead simple (all by hand) and takes a delightfully heavy hand with spices.
—The Bon Appétit Staff, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 May 2026
But other conservatives, including Senator Ted Cruz, objected to the heavy hand of government approach.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 2026
Where Democrats see a heavy hand, Republicans see owners trying to balance the scales.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 22 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for heavy hand
Cite this Entry
“Heavy hand.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heavy%20hand. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
