as in heavy
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 hitter
Wild Turkey Rare Breed is often mentioned alongside high-rye heavy hitters, yet its recipe falls squarely within the standard category.
—
Joseph V Micallef, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
The big story on Monday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway was a massive, three-car crash that involved some serious heavy hitters in this year's race, including 2016 Indy 500 champ Alexander Rossi.
—Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 19 May 2026
What was once a timber town is now one of the Willamette’s gastronomic epicenters, home to heavy hitters like Hayward, Big Table Farms, Carlton Winemaker Studios, and Flâneur Wines.
—Zoe Baillargeon, Travel + Leisure, 19 May 2026
Add Jonathan Haidt to the list of heavy hitters who have been booed at Yankee Stadium.
—Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 16 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for heavy hitter
Joseph V Micallef, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
The big story on Monday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway was a massive, three-car crash that involved some serious heavy hitters in this year's race, including 2016 Indy 500 champ Alexander Rossi.
—Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 19 May 2026
What was once a timber town is now one of the Willamette’s gastronomic epicenters, home to heavy hitters like Hayward, Big Table Farms, Carlton Winemaker Studios, and Flâneur Wines.
—Zoe Baillargeon, Travel + Leisure, 19 May 2026
Add Jonathan Haidt to the list of heavy hitters who have been booed at Yankee Stadium.
—Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 16 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for heavy hitter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heavy hitter
Noun
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The morning meal is becoming the most protein-heavy of the day in many homes, a notable change from the carb-forward cereals and pastries that once defined the American breakfast table.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Charlotte Observer,
4 June 2026
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Even the tech-heavy Nasdaq made it into positive territory.—
Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
4 June 2026
Noun
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Which heavyweights are looking good?—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
12 June 2026
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My heavyweight struggled and was advised to move down to light heavyweight.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
Noun
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In that performance, the big dominated on both sides of the floor from the beginning.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
6 June 2026
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Spurs bigs Tim Duncan and David Robinson were dominant in Ewing’s absence.—
Esfandiar Baraheni,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
Noun
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The Minnesota Wild’s big guns showed up in a big way Saturday night, and the Avs looked wobbly for the first time in this tournament in a 5-1 loss in Game 3 at Grand Casino Arena.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
10 May 2026
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Against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup, Wrexham twice raced into a two-goal lead only for the half-time of introduction of the Premier League’s ‘big guns’ to underline how far the Welsh club still has to go if their owners’ top flight ambitions are to be realised.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
6 May 2026
Noun
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Staal made it 2-0 a minute and change later by winning a big boy net-front battle with Josh Anderson to pound in his second of the playoffs and continue his line’s dominance over the Canadiens.—
Arpon Basu,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
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But taking on one of Wall Street’s big boys, and then getting squashed for it, ranks right up there.—
Liz Peek,
Washington Post,
4 May 2026
Noun
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For all of its strengths, my one wish for the Weber Kettle is better wheel nuts holding the big wheels in place.—
Matthew Korfhage,
Wired News,
17 May 2026
-
Denali versions aim for gloss, chrome, big wheels and illuminated badging, while the AT4 gets the tougher costume - 35-inch allou-terrain tires, red recovery hooks, extra ground clearance and a more trail-minded stance flavor.—
Josh Max,
Forbes.com,
6 May 2026
Noun
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Rebecca Grossman and former major leaguer Scott Erickson are to blame for the deaths of two young brothers who were struck by Grossman’s SUV in a Westlake Village crosswalk, a jury has decided.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
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The Giants’ manager not only consulted Baker and Washington, but former major leaguer Harold Reynolds and outfielder Drew Gilbert, who was a prospect in the Astros’ system when Pettis was the team’s third base coach.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
2 June 2026
Noun
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That was a gift from former Indy ball teammate and ex-big leaguer Matt Adams.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
18 Mar. 2026
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Around him was not a single big leaguer, minor leaguer, or anyone with a heater topping 90 miles per hour.—
Sam Blum,
New York Times,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Heavy hitter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heavy%20hitter. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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