heavy lift

noun

The handling and installation (on means of freight transport) of heavy items that are indivisible.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounheavy lift (plural heavy lifts)

plural heavy lifts

  1. The handling and installation (on means of freight transport) of heavy items that are indivisible.
  2. broadlyfigurativelyA requirement that requires a lot of work to satisfy; high bar, tall order.

    When a federal statute applies on its face to both private and state actors, a commandeering argument is a heavy lift—and petitioners have not pulled it off.

    2023, Haaland v. Brackeen (U.S. Supreme Court No. 21-376), Justice Barrett (majority opinion)
Cite this entry
APA

heavy lift. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/heavy%20lift

MLA

“heavy lift.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/heavy%20lift. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “heavy lift,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/heavy%20lift.

Source: heavy lift on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.