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
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
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
Verb
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
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
-
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
-
Additionally, these leggings act as shapewear, featuring a contoured power waistband that provides core compression, lifts the backside, and provides an overall smoothing effect.—
Caroline Hughes,
Travel + Leisure,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Saturn leaving Pisces on February 13 lifts the heavy blanket of sorrow and exhaustion that’s been dampening your life force for the last three years, freeing you to unthaw a bit from the winter of your discontent.—
Steph Koyfman,
Condé Nast Traveler,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The long-term answer is Joyce, who throws 105 mph and can be dominant.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
6 Feb. 2026
-
So people tend to define antisemitism in a way that excuses their side, and that throws all of the blame on the other side.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Upon announcing her status as a Faithful, the whole room gasps.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
9 Jan. 2026
-
The rest of the gang rushes inside to be at Eleven’s side and save the children who are trapped inside on the Pain Tree, while Vecna burbles and gasps for air.—
Yohana Desta,
Rolling Stone,
4 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
-
Cannon hurls a last plate against the wall.—
E. Tammy Kim,
New Yorker,
17 Dec. 2025
-
Her son then gets to realize his dream of not going to college and becoming a firefighter after Kate, who has been on him for the duration of the film to write his college essay, begins reading his college essay and hurls it into the fire.—
Rachel Handler,
Vulture,
9 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
The extraordinary overture, disclosed by Maxwell’s lawyer during her virtual deposition before the House Oversight Committee, raises further questions about accountability and transparency.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Grassley said the Arctic Frost timeline, starting with the FBI under Thibault in 2022 and expanding under Smith, raises questions about how aggressively federal investigators pursued Republican lawmakers and organizations while shielding the process from oversight.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Heaves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heaves. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
