heavy hitter

heavy hitter

1. An extremely successful, important, or influential person. John is a real heavy hitter in the world of finance. Many people have tried to copy his success.
2. A high-scoring athlete, especially a baseball player. The team would be foolish to trade their heavy hitter. He's the reason the team did well this season.
See also: heavy, hitter
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

heavy hitter

An important or influential individual or organization. For example, This publishing house is one of the heavy hitters in the textbook industry. This expression originated in sports such as boxing, where it literally meant "hitting hard," and was transferred to other enterprises in the mid-1900s.
See also: heavy, hitter
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

heavy hitter

A person who gets results. This American colloquialism probably alludes to baseball’s best hitter, the player who gets a home run when the bases are loaded. Heavy has been used for “important” and “influential” since the mid-1800s. Its pairing with hitter and transfer to business and politics occurred about a century later. For example, “The heaviest hitters in the magazine industry are reputedly losing their collective grip” (Publishers Weekly, Aug. 10, 1990).
See also: heavy, hitter
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • a big cheese/wheel
  • a big wheel
  • big wheel
  • heavy artillery
  • great gun
  • big white chief
  • big fish
  • a big fish
  • big shot
  • bigshot
References in periodicals archive
On the other hand, the sales manager may choose not to discipline a heavy hitter because it could cause a serious problem.
A question of ethics
Pacquiao has also established himself as a political heavy hitter after being named campaign manager for PDP Laban candidates in the 2019 midterm elections.
Pacquiao gives away cars on 40th birthday
Karen Tramontano may not be a household name, but in the White House she's a heavy hitter. On November 4 Tramontano was appointed assistant to the president and counselor to the chief of staff, a position just one step below cabinet level.
In and out at the White House
Will a Hubba sex tape scandal spell the end or will the boys add yet another heavy hitter to the already stacked lineup and wreak more performance havoc?
Phat beats
By all accounts Fraser was financially hopeless (a reaction, perhaps, to his father, Sir Lionel Fraser, a heavy hitter in city banking who initially backed his son) and unscrupulous in his payments to artists.
POP TART
With the flat and unfunny Culture of Desire, though, this heavy hitter strikes out.
Culture of Desire
Is it a lot of pressure opening for such a heavy hitter?
Jesse Fritsch: "I cut the flop off and grew it into dreads."
Vanzie is a fairly heavy hitter, but it would still be a surprise if he had the armoury to produce an early stoppage, so a buy of the total minutes at 28 appears to hold limited downside.
Boxing: Spreadwise: Long night on cards
At first glance it's obvious how big this is; Kerrang are the heavy hitter, the monster, no the behemoth, of hard rock journalism.
A Warrior never Fails; Top Irish band are on the verge of a place on coveted game
Headlining this special night is Miami heavy hitter and very special guest Robbie Rivera, who's making a rare UK appearance.
BEST CLUB; SMOKE PRESENTS KISSDAFUNK @ PACHA LONDON
The Labour Party heavy hitter took over the post after Tony Blair announced a major cabinet reshuffle.
Election 2005: Northern Ireland: HAIN HANDED HOT SEAT
But heavy hitters Amazon, Alphabet, McDonald's, Boeing, and Starbucks are also due this week.
U.S. equities are firmer
The article notes Mammoth Distribution, an exclusive distributor for a line of disposable vape cartridges called Heavy Hitters. Mammoth learned recently that counterfeit Heavy Hitters cartridges were being sold in illegal storefronts at a lower price.
Counterfeit Marijuana Packaging is Now a Problem
The updated rating was published on the official website of the organization on December 5 following the results of The Ultimate Fighter: Heavy Hitters Finale tournaments in Las Vegas (Nevada, USA) and UFC Fight Night: dos Santos vs.
Valentina Shevchenko ranks 1st in UFC ranking
The Department of Commerce recently deepened its bench of public and private sector supply chain, logistics and freight transportation heavy hitters, announcing that it added 11 new members to its Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness (ACSSC).
ACSSC adds new members