1
2
a
: large, solid, or heavy in structure
massive jaw
b
: large in scope or degree
the feeling of frustration, of being ineffectual, is massive—
David Halberstam
David Halberstam
c(1)
: large in comparison to what is typical
a massive dose of penicillin
(2)
: being extensive and severe
massive hemorrhage
(3)
: imposing in excellence or grandeur
massive simplicity
the most massive American dramatist of his time—Newsweek
Newsweek3
: having mass (see mass entry 2 sense 1c)
a massive boson
massively
adverb
massiveness
noun
Examples of massive in a Sentence
The fort had massive walls.
stars more massive than the sun
A massive effort will be required to clean up the debris.
You can find a massive amount of information on the Internet.
The stunt received massive publicity.
a massive collection of baseball cards
Recent Examples on the Web
Here’s a primer Today in History: Aug. 4, massive explosion rocks Beirut
Racist, sexist name-calling will not work | Letters to the editor
ASK IRA: Will the Heat regret casting aside the shooting of Cole Swider?
—Sun Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2024
Popular on Variety Roan performed at the festival earlier that week, on Aug. 1, where the 26-year-old rising pop singer drew yet another massive festival audience.
—Thania Garcia, Variety, 5 Aug. 2024
In June, Roan drew an audience so big at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Tennessee that festival organizers had to move her set to a bigger stage to accommodate a massive crowd.
—Elizabeth Wagmeister, CNN, 5 Aug. 2024
Piersall’s brief moment of self-indulgence back then was but a blip compared with the massive inundation of incivility we’re all subjected to these days.
—Kenneth Lasson, Baltimore Sun, 5 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for massive 
Sun Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2024
Popular on Variety Roan performed at the festival earlier that week, on Aug. 1, where the 26-year-old rising pop singer drew yet another massive festival audience.
—Thania Garcia, Variety, 5 Aug. 2024
In June, Roan drew an audience so big at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Tennessee that festival organizers had to move her set to a bigger stage to accommodate a massive crowd.
—Elizabeth Wagmeister, CNN, 5 Aug. 2024
Piersall’s brief moment of self-indulgence back then was but a blip compared with the massive inundation of incivility we’re all subjected to these days.
—Kenneth Lasson, Baltimore Sun, 5 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for massive
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'massive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near massive
Cite this Entry
“Massive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/massive. Accessed 19 Aug. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
massive
adjective
mas·sive
ˈmas-iv 
1
: weighty sense 1, heavy
massive walls
2
a
: large, solid, or heavy in structure
a massive jaw
b
: large in extent or degree
a massive effort
3
: having mass
massively
adverb
massiveness
noun
Medical Definition
massive
adjective
mas·sive
ˈmas-iv
1
: large in comparison to what is typical
—used especially of medical dosage or of an infectious agent
a massive dose of penicillin
2
: being extensive and severe
—used of a pathologic condition
a massive hemorrhage
a massive collapse of a lung
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