heave

verb \ ˈhēv \

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

Definition of heave

heaved or hove play \ˈhōv\; heaving

transitive verb

1 obsolete : elevate

2 : lift, raise

heaved the trunk onto the table

3 : throw, cast

heaved her books on the floor

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 utter with obvious effort or with a deep breath

heave a sigh of relief

6 : to draw, pull, or haul on (something, such as a rope)

heave a line

intransitive verb

1 : to strain or labor to do something difficult : struggle

2 : retch, vomit

nearly heaved at the gruesome sight

3 a : to rise and fall rhythmically

The boat heaved up and down on the waves.

b : pant

runners heaving at the finish line

4 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

5 : to rise or become thrown or raised up

Roads had begun to heave with frost.

—

heaver

noun

— 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)

See heave defined for English-language learners

See heave defined for kids

Examples of heave in a Sentence

She heaved the door shut.
The quarterback heaved the ball down the field.
She sat down and heaved a sigh of relief.

Recent Examples of heave from the Web

Alves is set to add yet another winner's medal to his already heaving collection.

— SI.com, "Brazilian Star Becomes Most Decorated Player in Club Football History as PSG Win French League Cup," 1 Apr. 2018
Poole’s shot capped a remarkable sequence when Isaiah Livers heaved an inbounds pass about three-quarters of the court to Muhammad-Ali Abdur Rahkman, who dribbled and found Poole on the right side.

— david hinojosa, San Antonio Express-News, "Michigan takes its shot straight to the Final Four," 27 Mar. 2018
Entrusted with the game’s final dribbles, Mack responded to the final buzzer by heaving the ball high above the floor of Evansville’s Roberts Stadium.

— tim sullivan, The Courier-Journal, "Chris Mack made the right choice to jump on a job like Louisville basketball | Tim Sullivan," 27 Mar. 2018
So researchers at UC Berkeley have developed a shifting platform that simulates the heaving body of a living patient.

— matt simon, WIRED, "Med Students Are Getting Terrible Training in Robotic Surgery," 15 Mar. 2018
Colin Walls heaved it the length of the court and Nathan Aerts caught it at the foul line.

— mike hutton, Post-Tribune, "Brandon Newman fouls out as Valparaiso falls to Elkhart Memorial in overtime," 10 Mar. 2018
The half-court offense consisted of James either driving to the rim or most of his fellow starters heaving long jump shots.

— terry pluto, cleveland.com, "Cleveland Cavaliers Scribbles: What Kevin Love can mean to team -- Terry Pluto (video)," 27 Feb. 2018
Janice limply heaves the thick unabridged dictionary into the metal trash can at the corner of Vandam and crosses the street.

— miles marshall lewis, The Root, "(What Did I Do to Get So) Black and Blue," 18 Mar. 2018
Dressed in jeans and trainers, Mr Kinnear heaved a battlement across the studio.

— The Economist, "The making of a Shakespearean actor," 15 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'heave.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of heave

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

heave Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of 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

heave

noun

Definition of heave

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

See heave defined for English-language learners

Examples of heave in a Sentence

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 of heave from the Web

Coughing can be maddening, from that first tickle in your throat to dealing with the stuff that might come up with each heave.

— korin miller, SELF, "Here’s When to See a Doctor About That Persistent Cough," 7 Apr. 2018
The Confederate street signs that spurred a long-running controversy, three protests and six arrests are finally getting the heave-ho.

— susannah bryan, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Hollywood's Confederate street signs finally coming down," 3 Apr. 2018
Justin Jackson’s half-court heave went in but was ruled to be released after the quarter buzzer, and the Suns led 73-69.

— scott bordow, azcentral, "Suns snap 15-game losing streak with tight win over Kings," 3 Apr. 2018
Johnson converted the ensuing foul shot, Erin Morgan’s heave at the buzzer fell way short, and the Fightin’ Planets triumphed, 36-33, in Wednesday night’s PIAA Class 5A final at the Giant Center.

— rick o'brien, Philly.com, "Archbishop Wood girls fall in closing seconds of PIAA Class 5A basketball championship," 28 Mar. 2018
Tony Rogers hit 1 of 2 free throws with 4 seconds left for a 69-67 lead, and Stewart’s half-court heave at the buzzer missed.

— jason frakes, The Courier-Journal, "Fern Creek pulls out overtime win over Boyd County in Boys Sweet 16," 15 Mar. 2018
West Virginia and Texas Tech, which tied for second this season, battled through a defensive-themed game, and the Mountaineers survived a midcourt three-point heave at the buzzer to avoid overtime.

— blair kerkhoff, kansascity, "Jevon Carter: 'Nobody remembers who comes in second' as Mountaineers eye Big 12 title | The Kansas City Star," 9 Mar. 2018
Florida wants to be first state with year-round DST While those states and territories have given DST the heave-ho, a movement aimed at throwing a little more sunlight onto cold winter days is slowly gaining traction across the nation.

— doyle rice, USA TODAY, "Daylight saving time is almost here — and it's turning 100 years old," 6 Mar. 2018
But Moses' half-court heave for Dimond (22-3) fell just short of tying things up at the buzzer, tickling the bottom of the twine.

— matt nevala, Anchorage Daily News, "Road to redemption leads Wasilla Warriors to 4A boys championship," 25 Mar. 2018

Origin and Etymology of heave

see ¹heave

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1571

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

Other Geology Terms

anthracite, boulder, cwm, erratic, igneous, intrusive, mesa, sedimentary, silt, swale

HEAVE Defined for English Language Learners

heave

verb

Definition of heave for English Language Learners

: to lift or pull (something) with effort
: to throw (something) with effort
: to breathe in and breathe out (a sigh) in a slow or loud way

heave

noun

Definition of heave for English Language Learners

: an act of lifting or pulling something with effort
: a forceful throw

HEAVE Defined for Kids

heave

verb \ ˈhēv \

Definition of heave for Students

heaved or hove \ˈhōv\; heaving

1 : to raise with an effort

Help me heave this box onto the truck.

2 : hurl, throw

He heaved rocks into the water.

3 : to utter with an effort

She heaved a sigh of relief.

4 : to rise and fall again and again

The runner's chest was heaving.

5 : to be thrown or raised up

Frost caused the ground to heave.

heave

noun

Definition of heave for Students

1 : an effort to lift or raise

With a final heave they jammed him into the crate.
—E. B. White, Charlotte's Web

2 : a forceful throw

3 : an upward motion (as of the chest in breathing or of waves in motion)

Medical Dictionary

heave

verb \ ˈhēv \

medical Definition of heave

heaved; heaving

transitive verb

: vomit

got carsick and heaved his lunch

intransitive verb

: to undergo retching or vomiting

Learn More about heave

See words that rhyme with heave Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for heave Spanish Central: Translation of heave Nglish: Translation of heave for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of heave for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about heave

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heave

Definition of heave

heaver

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Origin and Etymology of heave

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heave

Definition of heave

Examples of heave in a Sentence

Recent Examples of heave from the Web

Origin and Etymology of heave

Other Geology Terms

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HEAVE Defined for English Language Learners

heave

Definition of heave for English Language Learners

heave

Definition of heave for English Language Learners

HEAVE Defined for Kids

heave

Definition of heave for Students

heave

Definition of heave for Students

Medical Dictionary

heave

medical Definition of heave

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