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
-
But still, 495 pound-feet of torque, that’s stout.—
Joel Feder,
The Drive,
17 June 2026
-
Use a stout wooden stake and place it in the soil near the center of the pot after filling it with soil.—
Andy Wilcox,
Better Homes & Gardens,
16 June 2026
Adjective
-
Maisie is about 40 pounds, with a stocky build and a French bulldog face.—
Logan Hall,
CBS News,
10 June 2026
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Their stocky bodies sit low to the ground, and their limbs are muscular.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Adjective
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The abalone is plump and toothsome, yet still tender and accompanied by asparagus kissed by the fire.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
16 June 2026
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Post use, skin looks and feels more plump and less inflamed, with redness virtually gone and fine lines softened.—
Eva Thomas,
InStyle,
14 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 20 Jun. 2026.
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