heavily
gb/hˈɛvɪli/ us/hˈɛvɪli/
A2
English
~ 2200
Senses
0 senses
adverb
A2
property
1
With a lot of weight or force
In a way that uses a lot of weight or power.
Usage pattern:
[someone/something] moves/lands/falls heavily
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'heavily' with 'hard' when talking about effort; 'heavily' often implies weight or intensity, not difficulty.
Synonyms
forcefully (Suggests strong effort or impact, not necessarily related to weight.)
Antonyms
lightly (Suggests with little weight or force.)
Collocations
breathe heavily
|fall heavily
|land heavily
|hit heavily
Themes
daily life
|movement
|core_vocabulary
|science
Examples
- The box fell heavily onto the floor.
- He landed heavily after jumping from the wall.
- She was breathing heavily after the run.
Learner examples
- The man walked heavily across the room.
- The rain fell heavily on the roof.
- She sighed heavily.
adverb
B1
property
2
To a large extent or degree
A lot; very much.
Usage pattern:
[something] is heavily [verb-ed/past participle]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse 'heavily' with 'hard' in academic writing; 'hard' can mean 'with effort' but 'heavily' means 'to a great extent'.
Synonyms
greatly (Neutral synonym meaning to a large extent.)
Antonyms
slightly (To a small extent or degree.)
Collocations
heavily influenced
|heavily criticized
|heavily dependent
|heavily armed
Themes
intensity
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The decision was heavily influenced by public opinion.
- The company is heavily dependent on foreign markets.
- She was heavily criticized for her comments.
Learner examples
- He is heavily dependent on his parents for money.
- The movie was heavily advertised before release.
- The town was heavily damaged by the storm.
adverb
B1
property
3
Slowly and with effort
Slowly and with difficulty because of weight, tiredness, or feeling sad.
Synonyms
laboriously (Emphasizes difficulty and effort.)
Antonyms
lightly (Quickly and easily without strain.)
Collocations
walk heavily
|move heavily
|sit down heavily
Themes
movement
|emotions
|daily_life
|health
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- He walked heavily up the stairs after a long day.
- She sat down heavily in the chair, exhausted.
- The old man moved heavily across the yard.
Learner examples
- He walked heavily to his bed.
- She sat down heavily after work.
- The boy moved heavily after playing all day.
adverb
A2
property
4
With much of something falling/covering
In a way that has a lot of rain, snow, smoke, etc.
Synonyms
densely (Often used for things packed closely together; can apply to coverage like smoke.)
Antonyms
lightly (With only a small amount falling or covering.)
Collocations
snow heavily
|rain heavily
|smoke heavily
Themes
weather
|nature
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- It rained heavily all night.
- The mountains were heavily covered in snow.
- Smoke rose heavily from the burning building.
Learner examples
- It snowed heavily yesterday.
- Rain fell heavily on the city.
- The hills were heavily covered with snow.
Grammar
Dictionary form
heavily
IPA
GB/hˈɛvɪli/
US/hˈɛvɪli/
Syllables & stress
heav - ily (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (heav)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: heavily
- Plural: heavilies
Word family
Expressions
breathe heavily
1/bɹˈið hˈɛvɪli/
fixed phrase
Take deep, loud breaths
To breathe in a deep and noisy way because you are tired, hot, or upset.
Examples
- She was breathing heavily after climbing the stairs.
- He breathed heavily as he tried to calm down.
heavily influenced by
1/hˈɛvɪli ˈɪnfluənst bˈaɪ/
fixed phrase
Strongly affected by something/someone
Affected a lot by something or someone.
Examples
- His work was heavily influenced by his travels in Asia.
- The decision was heavily influenced by public opinion.
rain heavily
1/ɹˈeɪn hˈɛvɪli/
fixed phrase
Rain with great intensity
To rain a lot and very strongly.
Examples
- It rained heavily throughout the afternoon.
- They canceled the picnic because it was raining heavily.
snow heavily
1/snˈoʊ hˈɛvɪli/
fixed phrase
Snow with great intensity
To snow a lot and very strongly.
Examples
- It snowed heavily last night.
- We couldn't drive because it was snowing heavily.