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.
After midnight on September 30th, helicopters hovered above a large Chicago apartment building, and heavily armored agents rappelled from the choppers onto the roof. Veralyn Williams, NPR, 25 Oct. 2025 Hurricane Beryl in July 2024 was the last storm to heavily impact Jamaica. Chris Dolce, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025 The area’s dining and accommodation options are top-notch, and though the town's wineries were heavily affected by Prohibition, there are now a variety of places to sample the area's vintages. Erika Ebsworth-Goold, Travel + Leisure, 25 Oct. 2025 The film leaned heavily into dark humor, giving it a wildly different vibe from the original. Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 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

Cite this Entry

“Heavily.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heavily. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on heavily

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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