1
as in hoists
to lift with effort
I heaved my duffel bag into the bus's overhead compartment
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of heaves
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
The quarterback mishandles the snap and heaves the ball, which is picked off.
—Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 18 Oct. 2025
Several mega-talented Georgia defensive backs appeared to short-circuit and forget how to track a ball in the air on Tennessee heaves.
—Jason Kirk, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2025
Seconds later, Arano pauses, and with a final groan heaves the brush back into the bucket.
—Danielle Demetriou, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Nov. 2023
Verb
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
The quarterback mishandles the snap and heaves the ball, which is picked off.
—Caleb Yum, Austin American Statesman, 18 Oct. 2025
Several mega-talented Georgia defensive backs appeared to short-circuit and forget how to track a ball in the air on Tennessee heaves.
—Jason Kirk, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2025
Seconds later, Arano pauses, and with a final groan heaves the brush back into the bucket.
—Danielle Demetriou, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Nov. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heaves
Verb
-
Flagg hoists jumpers with his right hand but often appears most comfortable driving and finishing around the rim with his left.—
Christian Clark,
New York Times,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Fort Worth Arlington Heights head coach Curtis James hoists the district title.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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There was also a moment where her character vomits all over Bradley's face while dragging him from the water.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Jan. 2026
-
My cat vomits once every week or two.—
Jane Sykes,
Washington Post,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Building a successful league in Europe won’t just give them opportunities to get in on the permanent teams but could be a rising tide that lifts all European basketball boats.—
Alex Sherman,
CNBC,
26 Feb. 2026
-
One musician lifts a Haitian conch.—
Emma Madden,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In the photo, Duquesne is smiling and showing his upper teeth, including a prominent upper canine that throws a shadow across other teeth.—
Kerry Breen,
CBS News,
27 Feb. 2026
-
In one quick clip, a bodega patron throws a drink at him.—
Emma Seiwell,
New York Daily News,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Deadline journalists sat towards the back of the room said the N-word and other slurs were audible, as were gasps when Davidson made his involuntary tics.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Upon announcing her status as a Faithful, the whole room gasps.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
His sister administered back thrusts and, eventually, an abdominal thrust formerly called the Heimlich maneuver.—
Marvin Hurst,
CBS News,
19 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Nina sort of hurls the question of authenticity back to the foreign tastemakers hot on her heels.—
Lé Baltar,
IndieWire,
17 Feb. 2026
-
The House of the Spirits is a family saga that charts the Trueba family through multiple generations, spanning violent social change and culminating in a crisis that hurls a tyrannical patriarch and his beloved granddaughter towards opposite sides of the fence.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But the limited support Beijing has offered Iran during two major military attacks over the last year raises questions about its reliability as a partner during adversity.—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Assuming the toymakers’ claims are valid, Cross said, the apparent lack of oversight raises questions about companies’ ability to track how developers and third parties are using their systems.—
Kevin Collier,
NBC news,
3 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Heaves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heaves. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
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