heave

1 of 2

verb

heaved or hove ˈhōv How to pronounce heave (audio) ; heaving

transitive verb

1
: lift, raise
heaved the trunk onto the table
2
: throw, cast
heaved her books on the floor
3
: to utter with obvious effort or with a deep breath
heave a sigh of relief
4
a
: to cause to swell or rise
a spent horse gasping and heaving his chest
Frost had heaved the sidewalk.
b
geology : to displace (something, such as a rock stratum or a mineral vein) especially by a fault
5
: to draw, pull, or haul on (something, such as a rope)
heave a line
6
obsolete : elevate

intransitive verb

1
a
: to rise and fall rhythmically
The boat heaved up and down on the waves.
b
: pant
runners heaving at the finish line
2
a
: pull, push
heaving on a rope
b
: to move a ship in a specified direction or manner
c
past tense usually hove : to move in an indicated way
the ship hove into view
3
: to rise or become thrown or raised up
Roads had begun to heave with frost.
4
: retch, vomit
nearly heaved at the gruesome sight
5
: to strain or labor to do something difficult : struggle
heaver noun

heave

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: an effort to pull or raise something
with each heave of the rope
b
: an act or instance of throwing : hurl
gave the ball a heave toward the basket
2
: an upward motion : rising
especially : a rhythmical rising
the heave of his chest
3
geology : horizontal displacement especially by the faulting of a rock
the total heave of the strata
4
heaves plural in form but singular or plural in construction, veterinary medicine : chronic pulmonary emphysema of the horse resulting in difficult expiration, heaving of the flanks, and a persistent cough
Phrases
heave to
: to halt the headway of a ship (as by positioning a sailboat with the jib aback and the rudder turned sharply to windward)
Choose the Right Synonym for heave

lift, raise, rear, elevate, hoist, heave, boost mean to move from a lower to a higher place or position.

lift usually implies exerting effort to overcome resistance of weight.

lift the chair while I vacuum

raise carries a stronger implication of bringing up to the vertical or to a high position.

scouts raising a flagpole

rear may add an element of suddenness to raise.

suddenly reared itself up on its hind legs

elevate may replace lift or raise especially when exalting or enhancing is implied.

elevated the taste of the public

hoist implies lifting something heavy especially by mechanical means.

hoisted the cargo on board

heave implies lifting and throwing with great effort or strain.

heaved the heavy crate inside

boost suggests assisting to climb or advance by a push.

boosted his brother over the fence

Examples of heave in a Sentence

Verb She heaved the door shut. The quarterback heaved the ball down the field. She sat down and heaved a sigh of relief. Noun We lifted the box onto the table with a heave. He gave the rope a mighty heave. The quarterback uncorked a mighty heave.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Fans had already moved down to the court area as Mark Mitchell heaved a long inbounds pass that was intercepted by Cam Hildreth near midcourt. CBS News, 24 Feb. 2024 But Steve Lewis’ desperation heave the length of the court — a line-drive toss that found the front of the rim, bounced straight up and then rattled in — was ruled to have been released in time to force an improbable second overtime. Glenn Graham, Baltimore Sun, 6 Feb. 2024 On the Ravens’ opening drive, Jackson spun out of a would-be sack and heaved a long pass to a wide-open Flowers. Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2024 Early in the third quarter, after Sanders dribbled into traffic in the lane and lost control, Sheldon snagged and without hesitation heaved a football pass the other way to hit Taylor in stride for an uncontested layup and a 34-24 lead. Dave Campbell, USA TODAY, 9 Feb. 2024 That game against Michigan State, though, might show some cracks in the system — Iowa was a 14-point favorite, but superstar Caitlin Clark had to heave up a buzzer-beater to avoid going to overtime. Chloe Peterson, The Indianapolis Star, 7 Jan. 2024 Two workers scaled the tree pile like a cliff and began heaving trees to smaller flatbed trucks parked beside them. Alexandra E. Petri, Los Angeles Times, 21 Dec. 2023 Tech and techno On the final evening of 2023, an alley just outside Chiang Mai’s old town, with its red-brick walls and moat, was heaving with young Chinese singing and dancing in the new year. Christian Shepherd, Washington Post, 9 Feb. 2024 Many people were shocked by the idea that an American sports legend, who presumably earned millions in endorsement deals over a decades-long career, didn’t heave health insurance and needed to ask fans for help. Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 1 Feb. 2024
Noun
And deservedly so: The 59-foot heave Strus hit to give the Cleveland Cavaliers a 121-119 win against the Dallas Mavericks is the longest game-winner in the NBA’s shot clock era. Chris Manning, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Blowout of forever: Arizona The Wildcats decimated Arizona State 105-60 on Saturday evening, the largest margin of victory for either team in the rivalry’s 246-game history (and in stark contrast to last year’s game in Tucson, won by the Sun Devils on a 60-foot heave). Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 19 Feb. 2024 In each case, Mr. Trump has sought out the cameras, or brought in his own, to offer a stream-of-consciousness heave of legal complaints and re-election arguments. James Poniewozik, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2024 Utah scored baskets on seven straight possessions to move in front, but the Warriors took a 63-55 lead at halftime on Green’s 41-foot heave just before the buzzer. Matthew Coles, USA TODAY, 13 Feb. 2024 Whiteland fouled once before Davis fired a halfcourt heave that missed. The Indianapolis Star, 10 Jan. 2024 Simpson capped the scoring with a windmill dunk after a long heave from Donaldson with 26 seconds left. John Zenor, USA TODAY, 8 Feb. 2024 After the shocking heave from Lewis that followed, the referees had a lengthy discussion and ruled it a good basket. Glenn Graham, Baltimore Sun, 6 Feb. 2024 Perry missed a potential game-winner and a heave from McCullar was off the mark. Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 6 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'heave.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English heven, from Old English hebban; akin to Old High German hevan to lift, Latin capere to take

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 6

Noun

circa 1571, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of heave was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near heave

Cite this Entry

“Heave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heave. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

heave

1 of 2 verb
heaved or hove ˈhōv How to pronounce heave (audio) ; heaving
1
: to raise with effort
heave a trunk onto a truck
2
: throw entry 1 sense 1a, cast, hurl
heave a rock
3
: to utter with effort
heave a sigh
4
: to rise and fall repeatedly
the runner's chest was heaving
5
: to be thrown up or raised
the ground heaved during the earthquake
6
heaver noun

heave

2 of 2 noun
1
a
: an effort to heave or raise
b
: a forceful throw : cast
2
: a rhythmic rising (as of the chest in breathing)

Medical Definition

heave

verb
heaved; heaving

transitive verb

: vomit
got carsick and heaved his lunch

intransitive verb

: to undergo retching or vomiting

More from Merriam-Webster on heave

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