heave 1 of 2

1
as in to hoist
to lift with effort I heaved my duffel bag into the bus's overhead compartment

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in to vomit
to discharge the contents of the stomach through the mouth heaved as soon as he stepped off the roller coaster

Synonyms & Similar Words

3
4
5
as in to gasp
to breathe hard, quickly, or with difficulty by the time he reached the top step of the tower, he was heaving

Synonyms & Similar Words

heave

2 of 2

noun

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb heave contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of heave are boost, elevate, hoist, lift, raise, and rear. While all these words mean "to move from a lower to a higher place or position," heave implies lifting and throwing with great effort or strain.

heaved the heavy crate inside

When might boost be a better fit than heave?

The synonyms boost and heave are sometimes interchangeable, but boost suggests assisting to climb or advance by a push.

boosted his brother over the fence

How does the word elevate relate to other synonyms for heave?

Elevate may replace lift or raise especially when exalting or enhancing is implied.

elevated the taste of the public

When is hoist a more appropriate choice than heave?

The meanings of hoist and heave largely overlap; however, hoist implies lifting something heavy especially by mechanical means.

hoisted the cargo on board

Where would lift be a reasonable alternative to heave?

The words lift and heave are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, lift usually implies exerting effort to overcome resistance of weight.

lift the chair while I vacuum

When can raise be used instead of heave?

The words raise and heave can be used in similar contexts, but raise carries a stronger implication of bringing up to the vertical or to a high position.

scouts raising a flagpole

How do rear and raise relate to one another, in the sense of heave?

Rear may add an element of suddenness to raise.

suddenly reared itself up on its hind legs

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of heave
Verb
In a 2023 study, Richards and colleagues found that Australia’s 3-million-year-old Pliocene shorelines had ridden the slow heave and sigh of Earth’s mantle, and that accounting for that vertical motion resulted in lower estimates for ancient sea levels. Evan Howell, Quanta Magazine, 20 Oct. 2025 His first interception was a heave on fourth-and-6 from New Orleans’ 38-yard line. Dan Duggan, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
Noun
Darcey continued heaving in the car, which left Georgi grossed out. Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 22 Sep. 2025 And, in what is now Ecuador, there was a forest with a heaving ancient ecosystem. Rachael O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for heave
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heave
Verb
  • Most of those trout that were netted and hoisted for a picture likely lived, splashing water through the air and then disappearing back into the river.
    Christine Peterson, Outdoor Life, 30 Oct. 2025
  • Wednesday was their first test together, forming the middle of the starting lineup between solid centre Jakob Poeltl and 3-point-hoisting guard Immanuel Quickley.
    Eric Koreen, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The 75-year-old ginkgo trees have been wafting the unpleasant smell into the air at the Northern California park, forcing residents to brave the stench that is comparable to vomit, The Sacramento Bee and SFGATE report.
    Natalia Senanayake, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
  • Robert returns to his desk only to find that Invisigal had stolen him a donut as a gesture of good faith, which is now smeared all over his keyboard for the new janitor, Water Boy, to clean by vomiting H20 on the mess.
    Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Mpisi said that Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande both helped clean her up and lift her spirits after the spill.
    Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Nov. 2025
  • On your straight leg, tighten the muscles on the front of your thigh and slowly lift your leg to the height of your bent knee or slightly higher.
    Jakob Roze, Health, 31 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Everyone around the grave threw a flower into it.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 4 Nov. 2025
  • Moss has thrown for 1,929 yards, 11 touchdowns and six interceptions, and he was named last week among the 10 finalists for the Johnny United Golden Arm Award, honoring the nation’s top upperclassman college QB.
    Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 3 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • When the audio came back on during the broadcast, the audience could be heard gasping — while cohost Alyssa Farah Griffin raised her hands to her face in shock, and Sunny Hostin pursed her lips.
    Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
  • After months marked by corruption, violence, and the open perversion of law, to gasp in outrage at the loss of a few tons of masonry and mortar might seem oddly misjudged.
    Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Air enters the missile’s intake, passes through a fission reactor, and is heated directly by the reaction to produce thrust.
    Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 27 Oct. 2025
  • Too much landing thrust could burn into the regolith, punching a destabilizing hole in its loose surface.
    Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 23 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • On screen, Lawrence and Pattinson hurl nonstop insults at each other in loud bursts of verbal warfare, a striking contrast to the duo’s quieter working relationship.
    Antonio Ferme, Variety, 2 Nov. 2025
  • Within minutes of arriving in Paris in 1903 and settling with Leo near Montparnasse, Stein hurled herself into the center of the thriving avant-garde art world.
    Daphne Merkin, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Trump’s lack of specifics on his new 10% Canada tariff raised key questions for Erica York, vice president of federal tax policy at the Tax Foundation.
    Jason Ma, Fortune, 26 Oct. 2025
  • Owsley Brown Frazier, a fourth-generation descendant of George Garvin Brown, alone raised more than $500 million in his lifetime.
    Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal, 26 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Heave.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heave. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.

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