heavily

comparative more heavily · superlative most heavily · alternative obsolete heauily

1. With a great weight.

   heavily burdened

   4 more examples

   She fell heavily into bed.

   He clomped heavily up the stairs in his boots.

   The great clod trod heavily on my toes!

   The departure was not unduly prolonged.[…]Within the door Mrs. Spoker hastily imparted to Mrs. Love a few final sentiments on the subject of Divine Intention in the disposition of buckets;[…]; a deep, guttural instigation to the horse; and the wheels of the waggonette crunched heavily away into obscurity.

   1921, Ben Travers, chapter 5, in A Cuckoo in the Nest, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1925, →OCLC

2. To a considerable degree, to a great extent.

   heavily pregnant

   5 more examples

   He relied heavily on the data collected by the others.

   Your advice still weighs heavily with me.

   This problem weighs heavily on my mind.

   He drank heavily.

   heavily in debt; heavily tattooed

3. In a manner designed for heavy duty.

   heavily armed soldiers; heavily armoured tanks; heavily reinforced walls

   1 more example

   Nanny Broome was looking up at the outer wall. Just under the ceiling there were three lunette windows, heavily barred and blacked out in the normal way by centuries of grime.

   1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 14, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC

4. So as to be thick or heavy.

   heavily built young men; his heavily muscled arms

5. In a laboured manner.

   he breathed heavily

6. Sadly.

   "It was all my fault," he replied heavily.