heaves 1 of 2

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

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
4
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

heaves

2 of 2

noun

plural of heave

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 heaves
Verb
The Smith experience is always going to be a roller coaster, impressive feats of accuracy and arm talent mixed with desperation heaves and maddening turnovers. — Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026 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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heaves
Verb
  • The boy then hoists a mop above his head before laying it on the floor and mopping it.
    — Chiara Kim, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Peter Zumthor’s design hoists a serpentine platform atop pavilions that read like stout, truncated legs, making the edifice almost creaturely in its architectural stance.
    — George Baker, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Back at the Apollyon, Nas vomits the same black, viscous substance again.
    — Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2026
  • On the night of the reprieve, Owen, cut loose for the evening by his girlfriend, who wants to canoodle with a neighbor, vomits in the vicinity of Allie’s high heels, in what might be called a meet-boot.
    — Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Accessibility Very good—two street-level entrances have ramps in place and are wheelchair-accessible, and lifts access all floors of the hotel.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • When the dealer lifts the top card slightly to check for a blackjack, a partner with good eyesight can catch a glimpse and signal to the player.
    — Kit Chellel, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Simmons made some phenomenal throws all over the field, including to his primary receiver, Cayden Lee.
    — PJ Green, Kansas City Star, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Chicago White Sox third baseman Miguel Vargas (20) throws to first base in the fifth inning of a game against the Cleveland Guardians at Rate Field on Wednesday, June 24, 2026.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 2 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • As the curtains pull back, she is revealed standing over the corpse with a bloodied trophy in her hands as the audience gasps.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2026
  • At this, the paddock gasps in unison.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 12 June 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
  • Former Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins hurls a deep ball toward Jefferson in double coverage, and McCardell stops the play.
    — Alec Lewis, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • The mathematical problem concerns the Navier-Stokes equations, which govern the flow of fluids—from the whirlpool circling your bathtub’s drain to the turbulent winds El Niño hurls across the North American continent.
    — Joseph Howlett, Scientific American, 8 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The organization, created in 1961 by first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, receives no government funding, and raises money through private donations and sales of retail merchandise.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The necropsy indicating chronic gastrointestinal disease in two of the dead belugas certainly raises questions about their condition before transport.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 4 Oct. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Heaves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heaves. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster