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heavy equipment

heavy equipment

17 3.4
Large machines like bulldozers or cranes used to move dirt and heavy materials
  • noun
  • /ˈhɛvi ɪˈkwɪpmənt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : maquinaria pesada
  • The construction site was bustling with activity as workers operated the heavy equipment to move large piles of dirt.
  • heavy-equipment operator
  • heavy equipment used

And I'd watch Little X playing amid the cables and heavy equipment.

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Examples

  • I went to school to be a heavy equipment operator.

  • You need to get some heavy equipment to get them.

  • It's time to bring in the heavy equipment, power tools!

  • Time to bring up the heavy equipment.

  • Okay, sir, as long as I can hire all the heavy equipment I need.

  • You got no business messing around with that heavy equipment.

  • Typically, the highway will need a variety of heavy equipment to accomplish the project on schedule and safely.

    Academic text (2012)
  • Our DPW staff has been incredible, working on our roads with heavy equipment, clearing over 50 roads.

    Blog text (2)
  • If you've worked here before if you've had experience with heavy equipment, make sure we know that.

  • Part of the invading army was destroyed, and its heavy equipment was mired in thick mud.

    Academic text (1992)

Synonyms

equipment
vsheavy equipment
1.9

Tools and machines needed for a particular activity

is specific to large site machines and vehicles rather than general tools
machinery
vsheavy equipment
104 3.3

Large tools and equipment used in factories or farms

is narrower, covering large site machines and vehicles rather than general machines
heavy machinery
vsheavy equipment
12 3.4

Big powerful machines used for building or mining

includes both large machines and work vehicles used on site

Antonyms

light
  • Specialized
14 4.5

Using small, less powerful equipment or forces

How Large

heavy equipment
  • Specialized
17 3.4
machinery
104 3.3
power tool
17 2.7
hand tool
5 1.8

Surface Forms

Morphology

heavy + equipment

The meaning is directly derivable from combining 'heavy' (having large weight) with 'equipment' (tools or machines): a B1 learner who knows both words can infer it refers to equipment that is large or heavy. This compositional interpretation matches common usage (large construction/industrial machines) and is cross-linguistically transparent, so prior exposure is not required for basic understanding.

Etymology

The noun heavy equipment comes from a simple image of very big, heavy equipment, like bulldozers, cranes and digging machines, doing the toughest work on a building site. So, the phrase means 'large machines used for construction, digging, or other heavy jobs'.