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

Lacking any sort of thematic heft to make the proceedings truly spooky, proficient helmer Ovredal mainly relies on a series of jump scares, complete with sudden loud noises, to keep us on edge. —Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2026

Qatar enters that conversation with enormous institutional heft. —Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 20 May 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