as in stout
being compact and broad in build and often short in stature
has the heavyset build of a weight lifter
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Recent Examples of heavyset
The girl described the suspect as a male, approximately 6 feet tall, heavyset, with dark tan skin and dark brown, medium-length hair extending to his ears, visible beneath a hooded sweatshirt.
—
Harry Harris, Mercury News, 29 Oct. 2025
The photos showed several heavyset Guardsmen in military fatigues carrying rifles and duffle bags, drawing online derision for their overweight appearance.
—Ellen Mitchell, The Hill, 13 Oct. 2025
The famous car-wreck sculptor John Chamberlain hunched at the bar in his jeans and dark polo; Frosty Meyers, with his punk haircut and walrus mustache; and Larry Zox, heavyset, his wavy hair swept back, signaling for the bartender.
—Literary Hub, 9 Oct. 2025
For those of us who are still tall (but not NBA tall) and broad or heavyset, the E-Win Flash XL should do the the trick nicely.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heavyset
Harry Harris, Mercury News, 29 Oct. 2025
The photos showed several heavyset Guardsmen in military fatigues carrying rifles and duffle bags, drawing online derision for their overweight appearance.
—Ellen Mitchell, The Hill, 13 Oct. 2025
The famous car-wreck sculptor John Chamberlain hunched at the bar in his jeans and dark polo; Frosty Meyers, with his punk haircut and walrus mustache; and Larry Zox, heavyset, his wavy hair swept back, signaling for the bartender.
—Literary Hub, 9 Oct. 2025
For those of us who are still tall (but not NBA tall) and broad or heavyset, the E-Win Flash XL should do the the trick nicely.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heavyset
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heavyset
Adjective
-
Dartmouth would only score one goal for the remainder of the game, but was able to keep the Bishops at bay with stout defense and excellent goaltending from junior Letty Nelson.—
Zach McMahon,
Boston Herald,
27 May 2026
-
Without Makar, Colorado struggled in all three zones against the Golden Knights’ stout team defense in the first two games of the series.—
Jesse Granger,
New York Times,
24 May 2026
Adjective
-
Their stocky bodies sit low to the ground, and their limbs are muscular.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
-
The adults are about 5 to 10 pounds with stocky, thick bodies, short ears, short legs, and a bushy tail.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
23 May 2026
Adjective
-
Look for firm, plump blueberries with smooth skin.—
Lindsay Curtis,
Health,
6 June 2026
-
At Pan Asian restaurant Oriental, the lobster comes to the beachside tables looking like plump scoops of ice cream, and is best ordered alongside the black pepper wagyu beef.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 June 2026
Adjective
-
As the Presidential election approached, Kabila was increasingly unpopular, and a viable opponent was found: Félix Tshisekedi, a thickset, pugnacious man who was the son of a prominent opposition leader.—
Jon Lee Anderson,
New Yorker,
24 Nov. 2025
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Even though thickset Mandarin characters on every wall extolled the virtues of the Chinese Dream, Xi Jinping's campaign to rejuvenate Chinese nationalism, the town had a frontier feel, as if Beijing's hawkeyed gaze hadn't yet crept over the moonscape mountains.—
Chris Schalkx,
Condé Nast Traveler,
12 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Known for a unique approach to improvisation and his warm, husky voice, Ulmer settled into a niche of his own in the late Seventies and early Eighties.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
9 June 2026
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The 5-year-old husky mix is a regular at Spot's Place in Regina, Saskatchewan, usually attending Monday through Friday.—
Kendall Malinchock,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Heavyset.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heavyset. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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