heavy hand
noun
—used to say that something has been done without delicacy or with too much force
a cook who has a heavy hand with the salt
went at the task with a heavy hand
Examples of heavy hand in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Somewhat rarely for K-pop, Seventeen’s members have had a heavy hand in the trajectory of their careers, as their label’s founder, Sung Soo Han (whose official title, tellingly, is Master Professional), explains.
—
Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 28 May 2025
The deportations could subject the refugees to perilous conditions under the heavy hand of Taliban rule in Afghanistan.
—Zia Ur-Rehman, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Use a heavy hand for more opacity, and trace lightly for a blurry finish.
—Annie Blackman, Allure, 26 Mar. 2025
As much as Silicon Valley drove the next generation of technologies without a heavy hand of government in the last two decades, the stakes are too high for U.S. competitiveness not to have a more coordinated national AI rallying cry.
—Dean Debiase, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heavy hand
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.
Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 28 May 2025
The deportations could subject the refugees to perilous conditions under the heavy hand of Taliban rule in Afghanistan.
—Zia Ur-Rehman, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
Use a heavy hand for more opacity, and trace lightly for a blurry finish.
—Annie Blackman, Allure, 26 Mar. 2025
As much as Silicon Valley drove the next generation of technologies without a heavy hand of government in the last two decades, the stakes are too high for U.S. competitiveness not to have a more coordinated national AI rallying cry.
—Dean Debiase, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heavy hand
Cite this Entry
“Heavy hand.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heavy%20hand. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share