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
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
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
Familiar heavy hitters such as the Los Angeles Chargers and Tennessee Titans continued to impress, while other teams, including the Indianapolis Colts and Cleveland Browns, redeemed themselves after past videos that missed the mark.
—Jayna Bardahl, New York Times, 15 May 2026
That positive sentiment was strengthened by solid earnings results from an array of companies — not just the Big Tech heavy hitters.
—Darla Mercado, Cfp®, CNBC, 12 May 2026
There are also some heavy hitters outside of the festival’s competition strands.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 8 May 2026
Decades later, the heavy hitters still pull up.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 1 May 2026
Breakouts are getting a full-on rebrand thanks to these Gen Z heavy hitters.
—Brittany Talarico, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026
Set along the cold, deep waters of Islay’s village of Port Ellen, the hotel is well placed for long blustery walks along the Three Distilleries Pathway, which takes you to the island’s heavy hitters of Laphroaig, Lagavulin, and, of course, Ardbeg.
—Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 15 Apr. 2026
Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 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
Familiar heavy hitters such as the Los Angeles Chargers and Tennessee Titans continued to impress, while other teams, including the Indianapolis Colts and Cleveland Browns, redeemed themselves after past videos that missed the mark.
—Jayna Bardahl, New York Times, 15 May 2026
That positive sentiment was strengthened by solid earnings results from an array of companies — not just the Big Tech heavy hitters.
—Darla Mercado, Cfp®, CNBC, 12 May 2026
There are also some heavy hitters outside of the festival’s competition strands.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 8 May 2026
Decades later, the heavy hitters still pull up.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 1 May 2026
Breakouts are getting a full-on rebrand thanks to these Gen Z heavy hitters.
—Brittany Talarico, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026
Set along the cold, deep waters of Islay’s village of Port Ellen, the hotel is well placed for long blustery walks along the Three Distilleries Pathway, which takes you to the island’s heavy hitters of Laphroaig, Lagavulin, and, of course, Ardbeg.
—Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 15 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heavy hitters
Noun
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Among the Italian heavyweights, Zegna is absent, having decided to show its spring 2027 collection in Los Angeles on June 5, as reported.—
Martino Carrera,
Footwear News,
14 May 2026
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Brecher's photo of Markarian's Chain showcases the variety of cosmic heavyweights that populate the cosmos, while accounting for only a small section of the colossal Virgo Galaxy Cluster, which is thought to host approximately 2,000 galaxies.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
13 May 2026
Noun
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Toronto was shorthanded in the frontcourt without starting center Temi Fagbenle (right shoulder), and the Sparks trio of bigs had a field day with 54 points in the paint.—
Marisa Ingemi,
Los Angeles Times,
16 May 2026
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The problem came later in the fourth quarter, when the Spurs’ low man defender had to step up to stop Edwards or Julius Randle and the Wolves’ other bigs were able to cut behind the defense to clean everything up on the glass.—
Jared Weiss,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
Noun
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However, on season 2 of Twin Peaks, the actress played Miss Jones, the right-hand woman for one of the series' heavies, Thomas Eckhardt (the late David Warner).—
Drew Mackie,
PEOPLE,
11 Apr. 2026
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Specifically, Alioto sought to reimagine the magazine as a many-pronged vehicle for promising tastes—like those of regular contributors and critical heavies, Grace Byron and Greta Rainbow.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Mar. 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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Its front wheels have an open-wheel design; they’re shrouded in aerodynamic pods but mounted out wide from the streamlined cabin, which looks much more aerospace than automotive.—
Scharon Harding,
ArsTechnica,
14 May 2026
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Our 2026 Tiguan was loaded with standard features such as 20-inch alloy wheels, LED automatic headlights, heated and cooled seats, heated R-line steering wheel, and a simplified 15-inch infotainment system.—
Marc D. Grasso,
Boston Herald,
14 May 2026
Noun
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Jordin Canada was equally impressive, finishing with 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists while hitting big shots when Atlanta needed them most, including a clutch three-pointer late that pushed the lead to 73-65.—
Christopher Harris,
CBS News,
13 May 2026
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Dylan Harper had 24 points on 11 shots off the bench, Stephon Castle had 20 points and De’Aaron Fox had a number of big shots to allow the Spurs to lead by as many as eight points in the fourth quarter.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
Noun
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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
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Then the Bruins big boys decided to make a statement after that.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The car's quirky appearance is enhanced by a sporty body kit and big wheels that are pushed to the farthest edges.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
27 Apr. 2026
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The cars that Geely showcased at CES, in Las Vegas, were large SUVs with big wheels, opulent interiors, and three rows of seats—not unlike a Ford Explorer.—
Patrick George,
The Atlantic,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Heavy hitters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heavy%20hitters. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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