Synonyms of heaves

heaves 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of heave

1

as in hoists

to lift with effort

I heaved my duffel bag into the bus's overhead compartment

Synonyms & Similar Words

• hoists
• hefts
• raises
• boosts
• ups
• elevates
• upheaves
• uplifts
• rears
• jacks (up)
• hikes
• uprears
• picks up
• upraises

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• drops
• lowers
• depresses
• sinks
• submerges
• submerses

2

as in vomits

to discharge the contents of the stomach through the mouth

heaved as soon as he stepped off the roller coaster

Synonyms & Similar Words

• vomits
• hurls
• retches
• pukes
• barfs
• ejects
• upchucks
• gags
• spews
• spits up
• disgorges
• throws up
• regurgitates
• loses one's lunch
• tosses one's cookies
• expels
• nauseates

3

as in lifts

to move from a lower to a higher place or position

heaved the bucket from the bottom of the well

Synonyms & Similar Words

• lifts
• raises
• elevates
• hoists
• uplifts
• ups
• hefts
• heightens
• upholds
• boosts
• rises
• ascends
• cranes
• takes up
• mounts
• hikes
• perks (up)
• picks up
• upraises
• jacks (up)
• rears
• upends

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• drops
• lowers
• falls
• descends
• plunges
• slips
• dips
• pushes
• presses
• bears
• depresses
• sinks
• pitches
• submerges

4

as in throws

to send through the air especially with a quick forward motion of the arm

heaved the brick over the fence

Synonyms & Similar Words

• throws
• hurls
• tosses
• flings
• fires
• launches
• casts
• slings
• bowls
• hurtles
• lobs
• catapults
• pegs
• dashes
• pitches
• flips
• chucks
• lofts
• darts
• guns
• rolls
• thrusts
• pelts
• lets fly
• precipitates
• passes
• propels
• shoots
• ejects
• impels
• rifles
• hooks
• projects
• bucks

5

as in gasps

to breathe hard, quickly, or with difficulty

by the time he reached the top step of the tower, he was heaving

Synonyms & Similar Words

• gasps
• pants
• wheezes
• snores
• puffs
• blows
• chokes
• hyperventilates
• huffs
• gulps
• is out of breath
• exhales
• smothers
• strangles
• stifles
• gags
• asphyxiates
• snuffles
• expires

heaves

2 of 2

noun

plural of heave

as in thrusts

Related Words

• thrusts
• upheavals
• upturns
• climbs
• soars
• upwellings
• upswings
• upsurges
• rises
• raises
• ascensions
• risings
• hoists
• upthrusts
• uptrends
• ascents
• upsweeps
• boosts
• elevations
• hikes
• takeoffs
• levitations
• liftoffs
• blastoffs

Dissimilar Words

• downs
• decreases
• declines
• plops
• drops
• falls
• dips
• plunges
• dives
• downgrades
• downfalls
• descents
• comedowns
• nosedives

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of heaves

Verb

In another video, an emergency worker heaves a large stone aside while working to free people from the wreckage. — Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 25 June 2026

Moscow’s next move, as its skyline heaves with sooty smoke, must be to find a way to accept its weakness, and accommodate it, while not projecting anything other than strength. — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 18 June 2026

And so, in the constant tug-of-war between tradition and innovation, the latest design heaves toward history, meeting the future’s infrastructure needs in comfortingly familiar costume. — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 8 June 2026

Some nights the crowd heaves outside Mắm and the feeling is catch as catch can, diners hunched on low plastic stools eating off only slightly taller plastic tables, on the sidewalk and in the street, even spilling over to a nearby empty storefront. — Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 11 May 2026

When a degraded grassland returns to health, the ground heaves up, as if inhaling with relief. — Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026

If the plane heaves up, the spoilers can press it back down. — Burkhard Bilger, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026

Cover Exposed Roots Sometimes heavy ice and snow heaves newer plants out of the ground. — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 4 Feb. 2026

Aquilla Sadalla’s wordless vocals, a gorgeous swell of howls and heaves, complement the arrangement without becoming the focal point. — Mark Richardson, Pitchfork, 3 Feb. 2026