How to Use heavy hand in a Sentence

heavy hand

noun
Definition of heavy handnext
  • This gives you both time and room to swing with a heavy hand and drive those hooks in.
    — Joe Cermele, Field & Stream, 25 Apr. 2023
  • The regime has taken a heavy hand in response to the latest street actions.
    — Mohammad Ali Kadivar, Foreign Affairs, 4 Dec. 2019
  • Like many first-time novelists, Bear drives home her points with a heavy hand.
    — Wendy Smith, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Aug. 2023
  • Some people dot their words with them, like an overzealous cook with a heavy hand on the salt shaker.
    — John Kelly, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2023
  • Though McKnight noted the company had a heavy hand in approving what ended up on screen, the movie didn’t feel like one long ad for the toy.
    — Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2023
  • The heavy hand of sesame and sunflower seeds brings a savory balance, while cashews, pumpkin seeds, and pecans add fatty richness.
    — Kate Kassin, Bon Appétit, 12 Mar. 2023
  • Many fear what his disappearance says about Beijing’s heavy hand in business.
    — Li Yuan, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2023
  • Advertisement The Russian state has used a heavy hand to enforce its view of the past, firing or imprisoning many of those who disagree with it.
    — Michael S. Neiberg, Washington Post, 12 June 2023
  • However, those prone to acne should use glycerin sparingly and cautiously, since a heavy hand can leave the skin feeling greasy.
    — Elise Tabin, Harper's BAZAAR, 14 Mar. 2023
  • While civilians in much of the rest of the country have been displaced or killed or have disappeared at the hands of the security forces, those in Punjab never really faced the heavy hand of the military.
    — Christina Goldbaum, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2024
  • To avoid bringing down the heavy hand of the law on speech, we are supposed to be using a paralegal system of voluntary restraints, otherwise known as etiquette rules.
    — Judith Martin, oregonlive, 18 Apr. 2023
  • Contemporary commentary on central and eastern Europe tends to come down with a heavy hand.
    — Ireneusz Pawel Karolewski, Foreign Affairs, 21 Sep. 2016
  • Whether that’s ultimately due to the underlying material or the heavy hand brought to translating it, the net effect is a failure to launch.
    — Brian Lowry, CNN, 23 Feb. 2024
  • Hun Sen, 70, has ruled Cambodia for nearly four decades, with an increasingly heavy hand in recent years that has all but wiped out the opposition.
    — Reuters, NBC News, 24 July 2023
  • Yes, but the finished product is a marvelous example of decorating without a heavy hand.
    — Robert Rufino, ELLE Decor, 4 Apr. 2023
  • These political themes are rendered with a heavy hand by the filmmakers and carry few surprises.
    — Stephen Farber, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Oct. 2023
  • But there is one major ingredient that isn't often associated with a heavy hand of smoke -- eggs.
    — Chuck Blount, San Antonio Express-News, 22 Mar. 2023
  • The ensuing violence, although eventually repressed by the heavy hand of the shah, paved the way for the 1979 Iranian revolution.
    — Mohammad Ayatollahi Tabaar, Foreign Affairs, 12 Oct. 2022
  • Pan-fried okra in a light tomato sauce is a better vegetable than sabzi, or pureed spinach seasoned with garlic and coriander, but only because the kitchen has a heavy hand with salt in the latter (twice, unfortunately).
    — Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 22 Dec. 2023
  • Schneider itself experienced the heavy hand of regulators two decades back, when it was barred by the European Commission from taking over its French rival Legrand.
    — Peter Vanham, Fortune, 3 Aug. 2023
  • Halfway through, things get intense, as heavy hand percussion slams into Middle Eastern drumming, fast techno, punishing electro, and even a latter-day remix of one of grime’s founding documents.
    — Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 22 Aug. 2023
  • Applying a heavy hand of bronzer before foundation, so the dark undertones physically shine through the lighter exterior.
    — Henry Chandonnet, Peoplemag, 20 July 2023
  • That is true, but a consistent conservatism that rejects the heavy hand of authority in the conduct of private affairs is not opposed to the application of state power in matters that are the proper province of even a limited government.
    — Noah Rothman, National Review, 23 Mar. 2023
  • And conservative organizations have had a heavy hand in orchestrating that change.
    — How To Save A Country, The New Republic, 11 May 2023
  • My greenwash inoculations are needed more than ever with the heavy hand of regulation about to drop on unsubstantiated eco claims.
    — Solitaire Townsend, Forbes, 11 Feb. 2024
  • In Rwanda, for example, authorities govern with a heavy hand but still deliver services effectively.
    — Comfort Ero, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2023
  • Throughout those years, the military has wielded ultimate authority, guiding its politics behind a veil of secrecy, and civilian leaders have typically risen to power only with its support — or been driven from office by its heavy hand.
    — Christina Goldbaum, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2024
  • Advertisement Mehbooba Mufti, a former chief minister who was detained after the region’s semiautonomous status was revoked, said this apparent development and prosperity comes with a heavy hand.
    — Karishma Mehrotra, Washington Post, 25 May 2023
  • Next, the formula must be checked against the latest restrictions from the International Fragrance Association, which regulates fragrance ingredients (with a heavy hand, and to the annoyance of seemingly all independent perfumers).
    — Molly Young, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'heavy hand.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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