an actor who plays villainous roles
"The theater director cast a heavy as the main antagonist in their new Shakespearean production."
a serious (or tragic) role in a play
"After months of rehearsals, Sarah finally took on the heavy in our production of Hamlet as Ophelia's grieving mother."
A villain or bad guy; the one responsible for evil or aggressive acts.
"When the police finally arrived, they found that the heavy had already fled the scene without leaving a single clue behind."
In plain English: A heavy is a person who is very large and strong.
"The traffic heavy on the highway made my commute much longer than usual."
Usage: In everyday usage, "heavy" does not function as a noun to mean a villain; instead, it serves only as an adjective describing weight or intensity. When referring to a person who causes trouble, use the phrase "heavy hitter" rather than the standalone word "heavy."
To make heavier.
"The construction crew had to add more steel beams to heavy up the bridge before it could support the new train line."
In plain English: To heavy something means to make it weigh more by adding weight to it.
"The rain began to heavy down on the roof."
Usage: As a verb, heavy means to become or make something physically heavier due to added weight. You would use this form when describing an object that gains mass, such as snow weighing down a branch or rain making the soil heavy.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
"a heavy load"
"lead is a heavy metal"
"heavy mahogany furniture"
unusually great in degree or quantity or number
"heavy taxes"
"a heavy fine"
"heavy casualties"
"heavy losses"
"heavy rain"
"heavy traffic"
of the military or industry; using (or being) the heaviest and most powerful armaments or weapons or equipment
"heavy artillery"
"heavy infantry"
"a heavy cruiser"
"heavy guns"
"heavy industry involves large-scale production of basic products (such as steel) used by other industries"
marked by great psychological weight; weighted down especially with sadness or troubles or weariness
"a heavy heart"
"a heavy schedule"
"heavy news"
"a heavy silence"
"heavy eyelids"
usually describes a large person who is fat but has a large frame to carry it
"The coach reassured him that his heavy build was actually an advantage on the field due to his strong, broad frame."
(physics, chemistry) being or containing an isotope with greater than average atomic mass or weight
"heavy hydrogen"
"heavy water"
permitting little if any light to pass through because of denseness of matter
"dense smoke"
"heavy fog"
"impenetrable gloom"
given to excessive indulgence of bodily appetites especially for intoxicating liquors
"a hard drinker"
large and powerful; especially designed for heavy loads or rough work
"a heavy truck"
"heavy machinery"
dense or inadequately leavened and hence likely to cause distress in the alimentary canal
"a heavy pudding"
full of; bearing great weight
"trees heavy with fruit"
"vines weighed down with grapes"
characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion; especially physical effort
"worked their arduous way up the mining valley"
"a grueling campaign"
"hard labor"
"heavy work"
"heavy going"
"spent many laborious hours on the project"
"set a punishing pace"
Having great weight.
"The colt suddenly bucked and foamed at the mouth, showing clear signs that it was having the heaves after inhaling too much dust."
Having the heaves.
In plain English: Heavy means having a lot of weight that makes something hard to lift or move.
Usage: Use "heavy" to describe objects with significant weight or something dense and thick, not to describe a person vomiting. The phrase "having the heaves" refers specifically to nausea and should never be used as a standard definition for the adjective heavy.
In a heavy manner; weightily; heavily; gravely.
"The judge delivered his verdict in a heavy voice that silenced the entire courtroom."
In plain English: When used as an adverb, heavy means doing something with great force or intensity.
"The rain came down hard, but the wind pushed it heavily against the windows."
Usage: Use "heavily" when describing how an action is performed with significant force, weight, or intensity, such as raining heavily or breathing heavily. Do not use it to describe the physical mass of an object itself, which remains a noun or adjective property rather than a manner of doing something.
The word "heavy" comes from Old English, where it originally meant not just physically weighty but also serious, severe, or slow. It ultimately traces back to a root meaning "to take or grasp," which is related to the modern verb "have."