as in heavyweights
one of high position or importance within a group
many of the heavy hitters in the wine industry were boozing and schmoozing at the expo
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Recent Examples of heavy hitters
Most of the heavy hitters in the club of artists with over 100 million Spotify followers — names like Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny, Ed Sheeran, Drake, and the Weeknd — seem allergic to the concept of substantial time off.
—
Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 23 Jan. 2026
Originally called Juan y Lolita Rancho, the property quickly became a gathering place for local ranchers and riders, Hollywood heavy hitters, and visiting dignitaries.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 21 Jan. 2026
Baseball’s 2027 Hall of Fame ballot won’t feature many new heavy hitters, but at least one fresh addition has a compelling case for Cooperstown.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 21 Jan. 2026
While the competition was fierce, one legendary Charlotte dive bar held its own against heavy hitters from Memphis, Nashville and New Orleans.
—Charlottefive Staff, Charlotte Observer, 14 Jan. 2026
Shepard is nominated for his podcast Armchair Expert alongside co-host Monica Padman and is up against other podcast heavy hitters, including Alex Cooper, the host of Call Her Daddy, Amy Poehler, the host of Good Hang, and Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes, hosts of SmartLess.
—Katie Hill, PEOPLE, 12 Jan. 2026
The newcomer is alongside the likes of heavy hitters like Emma Stone, Amanda Seyfried, Renate Reinsve, Rose Byrne, and Jessie Buckley in her category.
—Meg Walters, InStyle, 4 Jan. 2026
Wall Street heavy hitters have already begun throwing their weight behind SpaceX as private investors.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 2 Jan. 2026
But outside of those heavy hitters, the South is home to thousands of destinations that get far less attention but are worthy of our time all the same.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 1 Jan. 2026
Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 23 Jan. 2026
Originally called Juan y Lolita Rancho, the property quickly became a gathering place for local ranchers and riders, Hollywood heavy hitters, and visiting dignitaries.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 21 Jan. 2026
Baseball’s 2027 Hall of Fame ballot won’t feature many new heavy hitters, but at least one fresh addition has a compelling case for Cooperstown.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 21 Jan. 2026
While the competition was fierce, one legendary Charlotte dive bar held its own against heavy hitters from Memphis, Nashville and New Orleans.
—Charlottefive Staff, Charlotte Observer, 14 Jan. 2026
Shepard is nominated for his podcast Armchair Expert alongside co-host Monica Padman and is up against other podcast heavy hitters, including Alex Cooper, the host of Call Her Daddy, Amy Poehler, the host of Good Hang, and Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes, hosts of SmartLess.
—Katie Hill, PEOPLE, 12 Jan. 2026
The newcomer is alongside the likes of heavy hitters like Emma Stone, Amanda Seyfried, Renate Reinsve, Rose Byrne, and Jessie Buckley in her category.
—Meg Walters, InStyle, 4 Jan. 2026
Wall Street heavy hitters have already begun throwing their weight behind SpaceX as private investors.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 2 Jan. 2026
But outside of those heavy hitters, the South is home to thousands of destinations that get far less attention but are worthy of our time all the same.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 1 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heavy hitters
Noun
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In 1907, it was redesigned as a bank in the style of an Italian Renaissance palazzo by McKim, Mead & White, the architects who put their stamp on New York heavyweights like the Brooklyn Museum and the original Penn Station.—
Arati Menon,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Jan. 2026
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By April 2025, Gates and Kianni pivoted to build an iOS app, and brought on heavyweights like Kleiner Perkins and Michael Rubin, among others.—
Alexandra York,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Guards, bigs, everybody just has to rebound, box out and just run.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
12 Jan. 2026
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But going through opposing bigs to get to the cup is never going to be his specialty.—
David Aldridge,
New York Times,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The Paramount executive also became president of the American Motion Picture Association (precursor to the MPA) in 1925, beating out the likes of Marcus Loew, Lasky, William Fox, Hays, Sam Rothafel, Sam Katz, Carl Laemmle, Joseph Schenck, and other Hollywood heavies.—
Chris Yogerst,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Jan. 2026
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Kier’s American career centered around playing heavies.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
24 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The comedy big guns come out to pay their respects to the groundbreaking genius whose comedy is still radical — Ben Stiller, Jerry Seinfeld, Adam Sandler, Dave Chappelle, Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel and Sarah Silverman are just a few.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
8 Jan. 2026
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Sunday’s iteration – David Pastrnak-Pavel Zacha-Casey Mittelstadt – finished minus-2 and were outplayed by the Sens’ big guns.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
22 Dec. 2025
Noun
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So much grunt routes through a trick all-wheel-drive system that actually uses a two-speed gearbox ahead of the engine between the front wheels, in addition to a more traditional eight-speed dual-clutch transaxle routing power to the rears.—
Michael Teo Van Runkle,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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The Black Edition has black all over, including the body, trim, 18-inch alloy wheels, skidplate, and grille—and even black glass, almost, or privacy glass.—
Erik Shilling,
Robb Report,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The constant pressure prevented the Broncos from finding any other big shots downfield.—
Chad Graff,
New York Times,
25 Jan. 2026
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Latson scored 12 points and Raven Johnson came up with some big shots down the stretch, scoring six of her 10 points in the pivotal fourth quarter for the Gamecocks (18-1, 5-0 SEC).—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
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There are big boys throwing their weight around, and there are wild skinnies with flying arms and spinning back-kicks, chopping out their emergency version of personal space.—
James Parker,
The Atlantic,
16 Dec. 2025
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One of the biggest reasons the Padres’ slugging numbers are down is that those big boys have not produced the power that was expected out of them.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Still, expect short overhangs and big wheels, even if not quite the size of these absurdly chrome 24-inchers.—
Michael Teo Van Runkle,
ArsTechnica,
13 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Heavy hitters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heavy%20hitters. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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