heave 1 of 3

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

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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

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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

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heaved

2 of 3

verb (2)

variants or hove
past tense of heave
1
2
as in vomited
to discharge the contents of the stomach through the mouth heaved as soon as he stepped off the roller coaster

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

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heave

3 of 3

noun

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
Her last-second heave from the top of the arc fell short as the Valkyries fell to 7-7. Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 26 June 2025 With a chance to send Wednesday’s game against the defending champions into overtime, Kate Martin’s 25-foot heave fell short. Nathan Canilao, Mercury News, 26 June 2025
Verb
Shortstop Edmundo Sosa desperately heaved the ball home upon fielding the relay, but the throw was equal parts errant and late. Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 9 July 2025 Step inside – once the doors have heaved themselves open, which isn’t the work of a moment – and the cabin is pleasant enough but lacks the wow-factor of the exterior. Alistair Charlton, Forbes.com, 3 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for heave
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heave
Noun
  • This launch will feature four, so combined its rocket power will have more than 2.9 million pounds of thrust on liftoff.
    Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 Aug. 2025
  • The spacecraft is powered by more than two dozen small rocket engines, each capable of operating at three discrete levels of thrust for fine control or more significant orbit adjustments.
    Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 4 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Constant procedural upheaval and backlogs are poison.
    Scott White, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
  • King took over in June as the district was confronting a $734 million budget crisis in the wake of leadership upheaval.
    Kate Perez, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • The actual data show good news: a declining trend in multiple job holding over decades, with a recent upturn.
    Bill Conerly, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2025
  • While Trump's tariffs haven't yet led to a dramatic upturn in inflation, recent reports are showing a slight uptick , and there's a belief that U.S. companies absorbing the tariffs can only do so for so long before needing to raise prices.
    Kevin Stankiewicz,Zev Fima, CNBC, 27 July 2025
Noun
  • The rover completed the climb to the summit of the crater in December 2024, three years after landing.
    James Powel, USA Today, 14 Aug. 2025
  • Use this moment—the early grind, the slow climb—as your forge.
    Joel Goldstein, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • When employees feel valued and see the direct impact of their work, engagement soars.
    Sacha Obaid, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
  • President Trump’s signature tax and spending bill slashes clean energy funding even as demand for electricity soars.
    Scott Cohn, CNBC, 22 July 2025
Noun
  • The app has had an upsurge in popularity as of late and reached the top of the App Store ranking this week.
    PC Magazine, PC Magazine, 27 July 2025
  • Much more worrying is the broader upsurge in vaccine rejection, which threatens to introduce community spread of measles into the wider population.
    Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Twin Cities, 16 July 2025
Noun
  • The upswing for multiple key sectors in downtown San Jose has arrived ahead of the South Bay playing host to three key sporting events: the Super Bowl, several matches of the FIFA World Cup, and some of the games for the NCAA men’s college basketball tournament.
    George Avalos, Mercury News, 1 Aug. 2025
  • Statewide, monthly firearm injury rates are also down compared with the upswings during the pandemic, and this year have dipped below comparable months in 2018 and 2019, according to data published by the Illinois Department of Public Health.
    Olivia Olander, Chicago Tribune, 30 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Heave.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heave. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.

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