heave

verb

\ˈhēv

heaved or hove\ˈhōv

\; heaving

Definition of heave

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1 obsolete : elevate

2 : lift, raise heaved the trunk onto the table

3 : throw, cast heaved her books on the floor

4a : 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

3a : to rise and fall rhythmically The boat heaved up and down on the waves.

b : pant runners heaving at the finish line

4a : 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.

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)

heave

noun

Definition of heave (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : 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

Other Words from heave Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about heave

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Choose the Right Synonym for heave

Verb

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

The almost-milestone, relayed to Reuters by workers at Tesla’s Fremont, Calif. factory but not confirmed by the company, is probably still enough for Tesla supporters and investors to heave a massive sigh of relief. — David Z. Morris, Fortune, "Tesla Seems to Have Finally Hit Its Goal of Producing 5,000 Model 3s in a Week," 1 July 2018 Digging in the dirt and heaving equipment in blistering heat produces aching backs and raw hands. — Patricia Cohen, New York Times, "With Jobs to Fill, Businesses Play the Visa Lottery," 27 June 2018 Sporting were left to heave the ball forward in the dwindling minutes, but Atleti held on to their 2-1 aggregate lead to advance to the next stage. — SI.com, "Atletico Madrid Advances to Europa League Semifinals Despite 2nd Leg Loss," 12 Apr. 2018 Two waves of heaving flooding Wednesday evening and Thursday morning forced 200 tourists to evacuate. — Amy Lieu, Fox News, "Arizona floods force hundreds of tourists to evacuate, reschedule trip to famous tribal land," 14 July 2018 Each time the strap connected with flesh, the army cot the boys clung to would jerk and heave. — Carol Marbin Miller, miamiherald, "A victim of vile abuse at Florida reform school, he spent his life fighting for justice," 10 July 2018 As well as being desperate to win the World Cup itself, Ronaldo may well have one eye on the Golden Boot award to add to his already heaving collection of trophies. — SI.com, "Bernardo Silva Reveals What Sets Cristiano Ronaldo Apart From Everybody Else in World Football," 18 June 2018 Nicole Duennebier’s paintings imagine undersea life in the manner of 17th-century Dutch still lifes, heaving with ravishing abundance. — Cate Mcquaid, BostonGlobe.com, "‘Pushing Painting’ presents the medium’s possibilities," 20 June 2018 At a preview show at the Brooklyn Academy of Music last month, the stage heaved with flowers and moss and baby’s breath hung overhead, like clouds. — Melena Ryzik, New York Times, "‘I Never Thought I Would Talk About It.’ So Florence Welch Put It in a Song.," 14 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

In that game, Duke won its fourth NCAA title 61–59 over Butler as Gordon Hayward's half-court heave bounced off the rim at the buzzer. — Scooby Axson, SI.com, "Villanova Opens As Big Favorites For NCAA Title," 1 Apr. 2018 Ayrault made the second and then a desperation heave from Dakota missed as time expired to send North into a delirious celebration. — Keith Dunlap, Detroit Free Press, "Grosse Pointe North defeats rival Macomb Dakota in regional semifinal," 6 Mar. 2018 Indiana, which lost to the Spartans 85-57 earlier this season, had a chance to force overtime, but Devonte Green's 70-foot heave bounced high off the back of the rim as the buzzer sounded. — USA TODAY, "Smothering defense leads No. 2 Virginia past Syracuse," 3 Feb. 2018 Making the story even better, the player who sunk the heave missed two free throws with under four seconds remaining to put his team in that position. — Daniel Rapaport, SI.com, "WATCH: Ardsley High School Wins Championship On 3/4 Court Buzzer," 3 Mar. 2018 Belinelli had a chance at another game-tying shot, but his heave was off the mark, the final buzzer sounded, and the Sixers were left stunned. — Aj Neuharth-keusch, USA TODAY, "Boston Celtics stun Philadelphia 76ers in overtime, take commanding 3-0 series lead," 5 May 2018 The swaggering, three-point bombing, Drew Bledsoe-appreciating folk hero is equally adept at pulling up for a long-distance heave and putting a forearm into a 7-footer’s chest on a drive to the hole. — Rohan Nadkarni, SI.com, "No Underdogs Here: Boston Is on the Brink of NBA Finals for a Reason," 15 May 2018 The old heave-ho: Jett Bandy very nearly made a grave mistake in the fifth inning. — Todd Rosiak, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Mets 3, Brewers 2: Wilmer Flores' walk-off homer wins it," 15 Apr. 2018 Gunnarsson then launched his throw a good 30 yards to the top of the penalty area, a heave by any measure. — Rory Smith, New York Times, "World Cup: Iceland Ties Argentina, but You Can Call It a Victory," 17 June 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.