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
Elsewhere in the shopping arcade, culinary heavyweights like Wolfgang Puck, Gordon Ramsay, and Daniel Boulud lend their names to additional restaurants.
—
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Feb. 2026
Bores, once an engineer at Palantir (the AI company involved in helping ICE), has earned the ire of his former bosses, and other tech bro heavyweights, by forcefully campaigning on regulation.
—Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026
Here, that body includes an array of West Coast jazz heavyweights, including Carlos Niño on percussion; Nate Mercereau on guitar, percussion, and wind; and Sam Reid and Jamael Dean, both on piano.
—Linnie Greene, Pitchfork, 17 Feb. 2026
Frank’s Break Room band features a cast of Bay Area heavyweights like keyboardist Mike Blankenship, who’s a member of the Oakland collective Black London (which opened for Michael Franti last August at Stern Grove).
—Andrew Gilbert, Mercury News, 17 Feb. 2026
He is expected to face familiar heavyweights, some of whom are banding together to form an opposition coalition.
—Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 16 Feb. 2026
The tender drama enlists some heavyweights alongside newcomer Yugi Gomes as Gugu.
—Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 14 Feb. 2026
Meanwhile, Wells Fargo analysts noted that AI and amateur-generated content often lacks compelling narrative elements found in traditional media, leaving room for Hollywood heavyweights to continue courting audiences in a rapidly evolving landscape.
—Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 13 Feb. 2026
By his fourth season in the NBA, the Suns had established themselves as heavyweights in the West.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 11 Feb. 2026
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Feb. 2026
Bores, once an engineer at Palantir (the AI company involved in helping ICE), has earned the ire of his former bosses, and other tech bro heavyweights, by forcefully campaigning on regulation.
—Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026
Here, that body includes an array of West Coast jazz heavyweights, including Carlos Niño on percussion; Nate Mercereau on guitar, percussion, and wind; and Sam Reid and Jamael Dean, both on piano.
—Linnie Greene, Pitchfork, 17 Feb. 2026
Frank’s Break Room band features a cast of Bay Area heavyweights like keyboardist Mike Blankenship, who’s a member of the Oakland collective Black London (which opened for Michael Franti last August at Stern Grove).
—Andrew Gilbert, Mercury News, 17 Feb. 2026
He is expected to face familiar heavyweights, some of whom are banding together to form an opposition coalition.
—Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 16 Feb. 2026
The tender drama enlists some heavyweights alongside newcomer Yugi Gomes as Gugu.
—Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 14 Feb. 2026
Meanwhile, Wells Fargo analysts noted that AI and amateur-generated content often lacks compelling narrative elements found in traditional media, leaving room for Hollywood heavyweights to continue courting audiences in a rapidly evolving landscape.
—Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 13 Feb. 2026
By his fourth season in the NBA, the Suns had established themselves as heavyweights in the West.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 11 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heavyweights
Noun
-
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
-
Kier’s American career centered around playing heavies.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
24 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
After rotating regularly between four bigs for much of the year, Gottlieb entrusted redshirt freshman Laura Williams with the lion’s share of opportunities at the five Thursday.—
Ryan Kartje,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Guerschon Yabusele and Nick Richards are assigned the lofty task of being viable big-minute bigs, and the backcourt features more agendas and guards to play than seems feasible.—
Joel Lorenzi,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In its sophomore season, Cross is in pursuit of a ruthless vigilante who is hunting down corrupt billionaire magnates.—
Jessica Radloff,
Glamour,
1 Feb. 2026
-
During the 2021 recall fight, Newsom also attracted high-profile billionaire support from Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings, and agribusiness magnates Stewart and Lynda Resnick.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
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.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
20 Feb. 2026
-
While older torque vectoring systems use the brakes to balance power between wheels, Audi’s setup here is active, using an electric motor actuator to make huge power deltas between the left and right wheels if necessary.—
Andrew P. Collins,
The Drive,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In their place Carlos Alcaraz and Sinner have established themselves as the kings of the court, and the rest of the world consistently isn’t in their sphere.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Backed by Spanish box office kings Bowfinger Intl.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
But where does Ted Turner live now that other tycoons have bought up enough acreage to surpass his record?—
Katie Schultz,
Architectural Digest,
6 Feb. 2026
-
During the Cannes Film Festival, tycoons and oligarchs feature on the guest list, rubbing shoulders with high-profile celebrities who relax with croquet games between press junkets.—
Mary Winston Nicklin,
AFAR Media,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The physical superiority of lions over humans has been demonstrated throughout human history—the Romans even exploited it for entertainment.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Smoke and flickering embers erupted in front of the Asian Garden Mall as colorful lions danced to ward off evil spirits and usher in the Year of the Horse.—
Victoria Le,
Oc Register,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Everyone seemed a little confused about it and the Legion bigwigs didn’t help much.—
Bill Swank,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The race for artificial intelligence supremacy has pitted Silicon Valley bigwigs against Washington policymakers and Chinese competitors.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Heavyweights.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heavyweights. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
