1
: to a great degree : severely
The building was heavily damaged.
The decision weighs heavily on my mind. [=is very difficult and worrisome]
2
: slowly and laboriously : dully
sighed heavily
3
archaic
: with sorrow : grievously
4
: in a heavy manner
sat down heavily
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
The Dannebroge was heavily bombarded, caught fire and eventually exploded, sending debris across the harbor and sinking with most of its crew aboard.
—
Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Apr. 2026
Tehran now relies heavily on its Shahed drones, with its missile production and launch capacity severely diminished.
—Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2026
In Pakistan and Bangladesh, which are heavily dependent on Middle Eastern oil and have small stockpiles, violence is breaking out at gas stations.
—Idrees Kahloon, The Atlantic, 5 Apr. 2026
Reports and satellite images later showed large parts of the city heavily damaged or reduced to rubble.
—Maliha Rahman, Sun Sentinel, 5 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for heavily
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Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Apr. 2026
Tehran now relies heavily on its Shahed drones, with its missile production and launch capacity severely diminished.
—Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2026
In Pakistan and Bangladesh, which are heavily dependent on Middle Eastern oil and have small stockpiles, violence is breaking out at gas stations.
—Idrees Kahloon, The Atlantic, 5 Apr. 2026
Reports and satellite images later showed large parts of the city heavily damaged or reduced to rubble.
—Maliha Rahman, Sun Sentinel, 5 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for heavily
Cite this Entry
“Heavily.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heavily. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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