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. OK, who are the heavy hitters around here, and how can I impress them? He's known as something of a heavy hitter in the fashion industry.

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. He's never been a heavy hitter, but you'll always get great defense from him. As long as you're a heavy hitter, some MLB team will take a chance on you.

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.

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).