heavily

American

[hev-uh-lee] / ˈhɛv ə li /

adverb

with a great weight or burden.

a heavily loaded wagon.
in a manner suggestive of carrying a great weight; ponderously; lumberingly.

He walked heavily across the room.
in an oppressive manner.

Cares weigh heavily upon him.
severely; greatly; intensely.

to suffer heavily.
densely; thickly.

heavily wooded.
in large amounts or in great quantities; very much.

It rained heavily on Tuesday.
without animation or vigor; in a dull manner; sluggishly.

Other Word Forms

overheavily adverb
unheavily adverb

Etymology

Origin of heavily

First recorded before 900; Middle English hevyly, Old English hefiglīce; equivalent to heavy + -ly

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The company is the latest tech firm to shed workers as it focuses more heavily on AI.

From Los Angeles Times

Geographically isolated and with only two working oil refineries, Australia is heavily exposed to disruptions in global fuel supply and imports most of its petrol.

From Barron's

That actually matters more for the economy and is expected to boost inflation significantly, since diesel is heavily used in transportation, agriculture, and industrial equipment operations.

From Barron's

The Strait of Hormuz remains heavily restricted, with persistent attacks continuing to disrupt the region.

From The Wall Street Journal

China needs a stable global economy as it is heavily reliant on selling goods around the world as it tries to revive an ailing domestic economy.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023