Home North American English massive

Definition of massive in US English:

massive

adjective

1Large and heavy or solid.
‘a massive rampart of stone’
- ‘The tiger stands towering at what looks like close to seven feet, and he's heavy and massive to boot.’
- ‘The heavy and massive furniture seems doomed to remain anchored to its designated space.’
- ‘Beyond this roadside specimen is yet another grove of massive giants that takes my breath away.’
- ‘At last he allowed himself to go forward and lay both hands lovingly on solid, massive, unmovable machining.’
- ‘The ground shook and trembled, splitting apart, then ramming back together, forming massive mountains.’
- ‘Iron Age hillfort has three circuits of massive ramparts.’
- ‘And yet it is one of the most exceptional and intricate and massive buildings I have ever seen.’
- ‘The group approached a massive stone structure at the front of the chamber that stood almost twelve feet tall.’
- ‘When required, a massive sliding door of solid oak protects the privacy of the bedroom.’
- ‘The royal tombs are layered pyramidal structures built of massive stone slabs.’
- ‘Then, like a magic trick, you see its massive ramparts and golden sandstone towers, exotic and beautiful.’
- ‘It has a heavy skull and a massive neck, and it is also by far the shortest-legged and least cursorial canid.’
- ‘Marble and other massive pieces too heavy to cart away were among chief pieces left in the galleries.’
- ‘Even though the chapel is a massive stone block structure, it has remained firm since its construction.’
- ‘The massive ramparts of the Citadel overlook the whole city.’
- ‘Heating pipes ran under the house - massive things lagged with heavy brown felt.’
- ‘There was a scraping noise, as of something massive and heavy being dragged.’
- ‘Some of the cars had been crushed to the size of a chair simply because of the massive weight and unstoppable momentum of heavy lorries from behind.’
- ‘In medieval Veliko Turnovo, royalty and high nobility lived in relative safety behind the massive ramparts of Tsarevets Hill.’
- ‘They were farouche, romantic characters riding arrogantly through the gardens on their massive elephants.’
huge, enormous, gigantic, very big, very large, great, giant, colossal, mammoth, vast, immense, tremendous, mighty, stupendous, monumental, epic, prodigious, mountainous, monstrous, titanic, towering, elephantine, king-sized, king-size, gargantuan, herculean, brobdingnagian, substantial, extensive, hefty, bulky, weighty, heavy, gross
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2Exceptionally large.
‘massive crowds are expected’
- ‘Heavy rain has caused a massive landslide just yards from a world-famous Brontë shrine.’
- ‘Considering the massive variety of foods we consume containing corn and soy and cottonseed oil, almost all of us eat biotech food daily.’
- ‘In which case, in which case, if people apply for patents and they get hit with massive fines, they're not going to apply for patents at all.’
- ‘You lose a massive amount of money on each new unit of production.’
- ‘This massive book with its lavish illustrations of gorgeous furniture and interiors whets the appetite for more on the subject.’
- ‘It's The Irish Today and it's a massive tome, lavishly produced and a great celebration of Ireland and our people.’
- ‘With recent heavy rains the ground is even more saturated now and massive puddles of rainwater cover a large percentage of the site.’
- ‘After all, they've pumped massive amounts of money into their economies.’
- ‘She is warning weight watchers to avoid massive portions, heavy snacking and boozing.’
- ‘While the great powers were spending massive amounts of money on weapons and germ warfare, children were dying of starvation in many lands.’
- ‘He is a solid comedian and has a massive audience.’
- ‘Not only will campus bars lose massive amounts of money if they are dry, but they will be far less successful as venues for musical acts.’
- ‘Whilst being trained, I began to pay attention to the massive amounts of money changing hands at the track.’
- ‘These are items which often end up in the bin, yet they have the potential to raise a massive amount of money.’
- ‘She turned down a massive amount of money from a Sunday newspaper, which was a great credit to her.’
- ‘For now, of course, it's reserved for those with massive amounts of money.’
- ‘Firefighters are now using bulldozers to build massive firebreaks around threatened mountain resorts.’
- ‘The pitch will be in good shape and we are expecting a massive crowd.’
- ‘It was reported earlier this week how rural tourism in North Yorkshire was being hit by a massive slump in trade.’
- ‘Today, a massive crowd is expected to gather on the Mall in Washington DC.’
huge, great, enormous, gigantic, colossal, mammoth, immense, tremendous, mighty, stupendous, vast, prodigious, herculean, titanic, gargantuan, staggering, exceptional, extraordinary
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1. 2.1 Very intense or severe.
  ‘a massive heart attack’
  ‘It's being reported that death was due to a massive heart attack.’
  ‘She had suffered a massive heart attack 15 months earlier and was told she needed a full valve replacement.’
  ‘A 37-year-old woman has been given a second chance by a revolutionary new drug which saved her life following a massive heart attack.’
  ‘About an hour after dinner pop suffered a massive heart attack.’
  ‘He suffered a massive heart attack and underwent triple bypass surgery in 1990.’
  ‘A lot of people, especially women, don't have any symptoms at all before they have a massive heart attack.’
  ‘One man was taken seriously ill after suffering a massive asthma attack following building work at flats.’
  ‘Two years ago she had a massive heart attack, leaving her face partially paralyzed for months.’
  ‘Those are patients with suspected heart attacks, massive bleeding, and serious head injuries.’
  ‘Later, he succumbed to a massive heart attack, his family members said.’
  ‘He had a massive heart attack seven years ago and doctors discovered he had the condition anti-phospho-lipid, a form of sticky blood.’
  ‘While driving his taxi looking for customers, he suddenly suffered a massive heart attack.’
  ‘Our married life was too short - in March of 1983 my dear husband passed away of a massive heart attack.’
  ‘She died the following February from a massive heart attack.’
  ‘Dad died of a massive heart attack at the age of 41.’
  ‘He died after suffering from a massive heart attack.’
  ‘She said a post-mortem examination revealed he had suffered ‘a massive heart attack’ caused by a heart abnormality.’
  ‘Sadly, that was no use to my beloved mother who died recently - in Scotland - from a massive heart attack, while on a waiting list for heart surgery.’
  ‘John Peel has died suddenly of a massive heart attack.’
  ‘And he went to the gym the very next day and dropped dead of a massive heart attack.’
2. 2.2informal Particularly successful or influential.
  ‘the title song became a massive hit’
  ‘His autobiography is set to become a massive hit - but it seems not even the England captain can topple Harry Potter from top spot.’
  ‘However, last year he wrote a massive UK hit single, which went on to sell very well internationally.’
  ‘Part of his dilemma is being a victim of his first hit film's massive success.’
  ‘The rocky yet emotional sounds of their breakthrough album have proved a massive hit, rendering them one of the hottest acts around.’
  ‘The Bournemouth-born jazz singer is already a huge success story in Japan where her debut album has been a massive hit.’
  ‘It already has a massive hit with a brand that has sold more than 600,000 discs.’
  ‘The film follows a bunch of strange characters in an isolated community and has proved a massive cult hit.’
  ‘However, it was a massive hit across Europe, reaching number two in Germany.’
  ‘Of course the show is a massive hit, and the police drama he takes in its place gets scrapped when the audience find it disgusting.’
  ‘And with few drivers on the roads, the shuttle buses made rapid progress through the streets and were a massive hit.’
  ‘Those who don't know the band should at least recognise the song, which was a massive radio hit.’
  ‘‘Roosters have been a massive influence on the success of the pub as well,’ says Shaun.’
  ‘Not surprisingly, it has proven a massive hit in Europe.’
  ‘Yet despite suffering a critical panning it has emerged as a massive hit, raking in $32.2 million at the US box office last weekend.’
  ‘The film, however, was a massive box office hit in France, then America and the UK.’
  ‘Her career had also taken off in the States in 1964, when her massive hit ‘Downtown’ reached number one.’
  ‘The reason for this long preamble is that the situation which prevailed in 1949 goes a long way to explaining why the film The Third Man became such a massive hit.’
  ‘The track, released on Monday, is tipped to be a massive Christmas hit.’
  ‘His own composition - a massive hit - has been overlooked in favour of the vastly inferior follow-up single, which he had nothing to do with.’
  ‘The programme has been a massive hit in the UK, with toddlers revelling in the adventures of the characters.’
3Geology
(of rocks or beds) having no discernible form or structure.
- ‘They form massive structures that contrast with adjacent bedded deposits when found in the geological record.’
- ‘Offset by the blue of sky, the massive beds of rock stand out in surprising colours.’
- ‘These highly alkaline lakes can produce massive beds of silica.’
- ‘The bed thickness is variable from thinly bedded to massive beds up to 9 m thick, and the contacts with other facies are generally gradational.’
- ‘These horizons are mainly massive in structure but with a crumbly texture.’
1. 3.1 (of a mineral) not visibly crystalline.
  ‘It also occurs in crusty or otherwise finely crystalline massive aggregates.’
  ‘These zones are separated from contact massive sulphides by barren komatiite.’
  ‘Some ore deposit types, such as volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits, can contain both syngenetic and epigenetic mineralization.’
  ‘Most of us were introduced to epidote as a massive or granular mineral characterized by its pistachio-green color.’
  ‘The massive sulphides are always contained within the Volcano - Sedimentary Complex.’