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
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
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
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
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
-
Head coach Dusty May of the Michigan Wolverines hoists the trophy after defeating the UConn Huskies 69-63 in the national championship of the 2026 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 6, 2026, in Indianapolis, Indiana.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Each, by necessity, hoists the other by its bootstraps out of abject improbability.—
David W. Brown,
Scientific American,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Shows were led by a sentient wad of meat, a talk-show host who vomits in front of guests, and a reality-TV star who never shows his face.—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Absinthe-eyed, she projectile-vomits blunt observations and also oysters onto the heavies, overimbibing her way into her own grave once she’s inevitably discarded with a shot and shove down a stairwell (a barely-there John Magaro plays one of the gangsters).—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Owning even a few hours of exclusive Masters coverage lifts the value of Prime Video’s entire sports portfolio.—
Alex Sherman,
CNBC,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Hysterical strength is when people exhibit superhuman abilities during life-and-death circumstances, and the most common example is when a mother lifts a car to rescue her child.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Through all these threads, The Audacity throws itself headlong at some of tech’s biggest hot-button topics, including privacy, AI and, in an oddly halfhearted subplot involving JoAnne’s son, Everett Bliunck’s Orson, the manosphere, with an eye as cold as its characters.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Spieth, nine holes away from another wire-to-wire victory, throws it away with a collapse around Amen Corner that is shocking even by Augusta National standards.—
Senior Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 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
-
The impact hurls both men to the pavement, and the shoeless rear passenger can be seen hobbling on one foot afterward.—
Emma Seiwell,
New York Daily News,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The Trueba family’s passions, struggles, and secrets span a century of violent social change, culminating in a crisis that hurls the proud, tyrannical patriarch and his beloved granddaughter towards opposite sides of the fence.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Their union, which raises money for scholarship programs, and sick and wounded police officers, has cut ties with their outside fundraising vendor TCI America.—
Juli McDonald,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Unions and district remain apart on salary increases, with teachers seeking 17% raises and Local 99 workers — some of the lowest-paid — also wanting stability.—
Howard Blume,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Heaves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heaves. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
