heft

1 of 2

noun

ˈheft 

1

a

: weight, heaviness

needed a hammer with more heft

b

: importance, influence

… this bipartisan group may provide the needed heft to get a … bill through the Senate this session.

—Katharine Q. Seelye

2

archaic : the greater part of something : bulk

heft

2 of 2

verb

hefted; hefting; hefts

transitive verb

1

: to heave up : hoist

2

: to test the weight of by lifting

… hefting the rod … to get the feel of it …

—Consumer Reports

Synonyms of heft

Noun

• weight

Verb

• heave
• hoist

Examples of heft in a Sentence

Noun

the heft of a good hammer

some synthetic fabrics are nice and warm, but I prefer wool because it has more heft

Verb

hefted his growing son onto his shoulders

heft your baggy gym shorts a little higher—you're showing us more than we care to see

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Putin’s 26 years at the helm of Russia have – until recently – been marked by deft maneuvering, pragmatism, and outsized geopolitical heft. —Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 18 June 2026

No number of brand deals, however, can replace the institutional heft of a gallery’s backing. —Rachel Corbett, Vulture, 18 June 2026

Verb

Bum-seok must then navigate the practicalities of getting a small old man to heft a large, leaking, perforated butcher to the hospital. —Jessica Kiang, Variety, 17 May 2026

Instead of hefting a heavy steel basket, Sanitation workers flip back half of the upper steel collar and pull out a lightweight plastic liner. —Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 16 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

from heave, after such pairs as weave : weft

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1789, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for heft

• cleft
• deft
• left
• theft
• bereft

Kids Definition

heft

1 of 2 noun

ˈheft 

: weight entry 1 sense 1a, heaviness

heft

2 of 2 verb

1

: to heave up : lift

2

: to test the weight of by lifting