heavily

adverb

heavi·​ly ˈhe-və-lē How to pronounce heavily (audio)
1
: to a great degree : severely
2
: slowly and laboriously : dully
3
archaic : with sorrow : grievously
4
: in a heavy manner

Examples of heavily in a Sentence

He relies heavily on his wife for advice. These artists borrow heavily from Picasso. Our flowers were heavily damaged by a late spring frost. She drank and smoked heavily for years. He sat down heavily on the couch. He was leaning heavily on the table. She sighed heavily then said “Okay, I'll do it.”
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
But that doesn’t seem to be the purpose of the record, which leans more heavily into fan service — a treat for those who’ve stayed loyal (or at least neutral) as Drake suffered the past year’s cavalcade of embarrassments. Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 14 Feb. 2025 Listen to this article A young boy was killed and three others injured, including two Chicago firefighters in a fast-moving blaze that heavily damaged an apartment building in the city’s West Ridge neighborhood on the city’s Northwest Side, officials said. Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 14 Feb. 2025 Truth or Dare's Jeff Waldow and Speak No Evil's James Watkins are two names that are being heavily thrown around regarding the new DC venture. Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 14 Feb. 2025 Ferry was heavily involved in the renovations, and players like Aaron Judge, Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, Clarke Schmidt, Anthony Volpe and Austin Wells also offered input. Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 14 Feb. 2025 See all Example Sentences for heavily 

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of heavily was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near heavily

Cite this Entry

“Heavily.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heavily. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.

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