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
DeBlois dials the cuteness quotient back somewhat while giving this massive animal a genuine presence.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 9 June 2025
While riggers hung massive lights and construction workers assembled the stage on a grueling day before Tyler Childers‘ June 2024 concert at the United Center, three young locals showed up: Cheryl, Larry and Ted.
—Steve Knopper, Billboard, 9 June 2025
Food vendors sizzled meats at vendor stalls and kept juices in massive, unlabeled canisters under the gritty subway underpass – devoid of any labels or apparent sanitation or health and safety standards.
—Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 9 June 2025
The 1984 Games were also privately funded and hailed as a massive success for their $225 million surplus that was invested in youth sports.
—Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for massive
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Peter Debruge, Variety, 9 June 2025
While riggers hung massive lights and construction workers assembled the stage on a grueling day before Tyler Childers‘ June 2024 concert at the United Center, three young locals showed up: Cheryl, Larry and Ted.
—Steve Knopper, Billboard, 9 June 2025
Food vendors sizzled meats at vendor stalls and kept juices in massive, unlabeled canisters under the gritty subway underpass – devoid of any labels or apparent sanitation or health and safety standards.
—Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 9 June 2025
The 1984 Games were also privately funded and hailed as a massive success for their $225 million surplus that was invested in youth sports.
—Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for massive
Cite this Entry
“Massive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/massive. Accessed 12 Jun. 2025.
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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