heft

1 of 2

noun

ˈheft 

1

a

: weight, heaviness

b

: importance, influence

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

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 Emmys aren’t the Oscars, Grammys, Tonys or Golden Globes, which benefit from the promotional heft of being on the same outlet year after year. —Michael Schneider, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025

To be a person who knows the joy of holding their newborn child for the first time while also knowing the heft of a 75mm artillery shell. —Michael Jerome Plunkett september 5, Literary Hub, 5 Sep. 2025

Verb

Here in our yards, long years of earth have been hefted by hand and heaped up on tarps. —Steven Searcy, IEEE Spectrum, 31 Aug. 2025

Recursive self-awareness like this can trap a performance in a feedback loop, but Bassichis finds heft in thinking about what actual mainstream fame might mean to a gay comedian, both in Maya’s time and now. —Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 8 Aug. 2025

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

circa 1661, 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