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
Kate Ruane, Director of the Center for Democracy and Technology's Free Expression Project, said Apple's move should also be viewed as the government's heavy hand muzzling free expression.
—
Bobby Allyn, NPR, 3 Oct. 2025
Forbes has reported extensively on TikTok’s troubles since then, from data security and privacy risks to the heavy hand of its Chinese parent, ByteDance.
—Andy Meek, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
The heavy hand of the state is also driving investors away.
—Sadek Wahba, Foreign Affairs, 4 Sep. 2025
And have a really heavy hand in her legacy.
—Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 18 Aug. 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.
Bobby Allyn, NPR, 3 Oct. 2025
Forbes has reported extensively on TikTok’s troubles since then, from data security and privacy risks to the heavy hand of its Chinese parent, ByteDance.
—Andy Meek, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
The heavy hand of the state is also driving investors away.
—Sadek Wahba, Foreign Affairs, 4 Sep. 2025
And have a really heavy hand in her legacy.
—Pamela McClintock, HollywoodReporter, 18 Aug. 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 18 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share