as in heavies
one of high position or importance within a group
a heavyweight in the U.S. Senate, he has a lot of clout in judicial confirmations
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of heavyweights
The main galleries sector at the fair will include international heavyweights including New York’s Pace Gallery, London’s Sadie Coles HQ, and Tokyo’s TARO NASU, KOTARO NUKAGA, and A Lighthouse called Kanata.
—
News Desk,
Artforum,
26 June 2026
The lineup of country music heavyweights due to receive special awards from the Academy of Country Music this summer has been set, with Kacey Musgraves, Ella Langley and Eric Church among the stars being feted at the 19th annual ACM Honors program.
—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
25 June 2026
The sessions brought together an impressive cast of Nashville heavyweights.
—
Spin Staff,
SPIN,
23 June 2026
South Korea's semiconductor heavyweights led Wednesday's bounce during early Asia hours.
—
Lisa Kailai Han,lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
23 June 2026
Read on to discover how a crypto-mining spinout has evolved into a company that’s now bringing in billions of dollars in funding and attracting tech heavyweights, including Sheryl Sandberg, to its board.
—
Francesca Cassidy,
Fortune,
22 June 2026
Industry heavyweights also saluted the executive.
—
Cheyenne Roundtree,
Rolling Stone,
22 June 2026
Streep joined Hollywood heavyweights Michael Douglas, Barbra Streisand and Jerry Hall as the foursome posed with Mick Jagger backstage at the Rolling Stones' Steel Wheels tour in 1989.
—
Grace Gavilanes,
PEOPLE,
22 June 2026
In a big matchup between division-leading heavyweights, Atlanta took two of three from Milwaukee over the weekend, even handing Jacob Misiorowski — now atop our starting pitcher rankings — a loss Friday night.
—
Ken Rosenthal,
New York Times,
22 June 2026
News Desk,
Artforum,
26 June 2026
The lineup of country music heavyweights due to receive special awards from the Academy of Country Music this summer has been set, with Kacey Musgraves, Ella Langley and Eric Church among the stars being feted at the 19th annual ACM Honors program.
—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
25 June 2026
The sessions brought together an impressive cast of Nashville heavyweights.
—
Spin Staff,
SPIN,
23 June 2026
South Korea's semiconductor heavyweights led Wednesday's bounce during early Asia hours.
—
Lisa Kailai Han,lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
23 June 2026
Read on to discover how a crypto-mining spinout has evolved into a company that’s now bringing in billions of dollars in funding and attracting tech heavyweights, including Sheryl Sandberg, to its board.
—
Francesca Cassidy,
Fortune,
22 June 2026
Industry heavyweights also saluted the executive.
—
Cheyenne Roundtree,
Rolling Stone,
22 June 2026
Streep joined Hollywood heavyweights Michael Douglas, Barbra Streisand and Jerry Hall as the foursome posed with Mick Jagger backstage at the Rolling Stones' Steel Wheels tour in 1989.
—
Grace Gavilanes,
PEOPLE,
22 June 2026
In a big matchup between division-leading heavyweights, Atlanta took two of three from Milwaukee over the weekend, even handing Jacob Misiorowski — now atop our starting pitcher rankings — a loss Friday night.
—
Ken Rosenthal,
New York Times,
22 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heavyweights
Noun
-
In any year, in any culture, there are no antagonists (save for Nazis) better suited as action cinema heavies; rooting against child trafficking lowlifes is moral, easy, and best of all, a completely guiltless pleasure.
-
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).
Noun
-
For the past few weeks, the Valkyries’ first-ever All-Star has been anchoring Golden State’s defense in critical moments, guarding opposing bigs and sacrificing offensive opportunities for the sake of scheme.
-
So Bauer heads back to Mexico City, continuing a journey that has taken him everywhere except the bigs.
Noun
-
Newspapers fell into the hands of magnates who advanced their own interests.
-
The verdict comes at a critical time for Altman and Musk, as the two tech magnates push their respective companies toward the public markets in what are expected to be record offerings.
Noun
-
The summer sun can turn your car into what feels like an oven on wheels.
-
Make sure the tires reconnect with the road - During the skid, wait until the tires reconnect with the road and then gently straighten the wheels to regain control.
Noun
-
The bell’s pyramidal face is decorated with depictions of deceased kings and queens, and its toll was believed to invoke ancestral spirits.
-
Little is yet known about the jewelry and its significance, but Gordon believes that the jewelry was once worn by the kings and queens of an ancient Khmer Empire that spanned Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand, and existed for hundreds of years.
Noun
-
Set in the eponymous Texas metropolis, Dallas followed the Ewings, a powerful family of oil tycoons and ranch owners whose feuds and foibles made for wildly entertaining primetime viewing.
-
Three of Paxton’s billionaire backers were Texas-native tycoons with a history of funding right-wing candidates in the state, one of whom died after his donation.
Noun
-
Some time later, Umbro even released a special New Order version of it, with a World In Motion logo replacing the three lions national crest.
-
The park is famous for its tree-climbing lions, enormous hippo populations, chimpanzee tracking, volcanic crater lakes, wetlands and savannah ecosystems.
Noun
-
Naturally, Bravo’s bigwigs and Cohen were pretty peeved to see gossip sites scooping them on their own reunion.
-
Immediately afterwards, international dance music bigwigs such as Carl Cox, Martin Garrix, David Guetta, and Peggy Gou took over the sound system to get everyone on the dance floor.
Cite this Entry
“Heavyweights.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heavyweights. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
