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

The roughly thirty-pound latex belly that Harbour wore to give Floyd extra heft is on full display in the show’s final episode, when Floyd and Clark strip down to their boxer briefs and dance by the pool lockers in a kind of tête-à-tête disco. —Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 24 Apr. 2026

While there are not a lot of players who are capable of adapting to any kind of role and heft of scoring load, there are better perimeter operators out in the market. —Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 24 Apr. 2026

Verb

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

The judge also hefted an additional $250 fine to one person’s charge for taking rocks. —Madison Dapcevich, Outside, 12 Mar. 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