heaven

heav·en

noun \ˈhe-vən\

Definition of HEAVEN

1

: the expanse of space that seems to be over the earth like a dome : firmament —usually used in plural

2

a often capitalized : the dwelling place of the Deity and the blessed dead

b : a spiritual state of everlasting communion with God

3

capitalized : god 1

4

: a place or condition of utmost happiness

5

Christian Science : a state of thought in which sin is absent and the harmony of divine Mind is manifest

Examples of HEAVEN

1. She prayed to God in Heaven.
2. He hopes to go to Heaven when he dies.
3. Our baby is a gift from heaven.
4. the brightest star in the heavens

Origin of HEAVEN

Middle English heven, from Old English heofon; akin to Old High German himil heaven

First Known Use: before 12th century

Related to HEAVEN

Synonyms

above, bliss, elysian fields, Elysium, empyrean, kingdom come, New Jerusalem, paradise, sky, Zion (also Sion), on high

Antonyms

Gehenna, hell, Pandemonium, perdition

Related Words

Beulah, glory, happy hunting ground, nirvana, promised land, Valhalla; afterlife, afterworld, hereafter, otherworld

Near Antonyms

inferno; limbo, purgatory; hades, netherworld, underworld; abyss, pit

Other Christian Religious Terms

Pentateuch, blasphemy, curate, doxology, eremite, iconoclasm, liturgy, orison, pneuma, reliquary

Rhymes with HEAVEN

Bevin, devon, leaven, levin, seven, sweven

heaven

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

“The Angel Shows John the Heavenly Jerusalem,” from the Apocalypse of St. John, …—Courtesy of the Staatsbibliothek Bamberg, Germany

Dwelling place of God or the gods and the abode of the blessed dead. The term also refers to the celestial sphere, the place of the sun, moon, planets, and stars and the source of light, which symbolizes good. For later Judaism and Christianity, heaven is the destination of the faithful after a general resurrection of the dead, in contrast to hell, the place of punishment for the wicked. Islam has a similar belief. In Chinese religion, heaven is equated with the divine will, which guides the operation of all physical and moral laws. In some Mahayana Buddhist sects, heaven is a paradise for those who have received the saving grace of Amitabha.