1
as in hoisting
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 vomiting
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 lifting
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 throwing
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 panting
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 heaving
In photo after photo, video after video, North Shore residents are painted in mud, scraping it off driveways, sweeping it out of kitchens and heaving it into trucks along with their household debris.
—
Thomas Heaton, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
The Bernabeu was heaving, the fans were longing their team back into the game.
—Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
As the fugitive car careered along the narrow road, the passenger started heaving out hindquarters of venison.
—Dave Duffey, Outdoor Life, 26 Mar. 2026
The feel of heaving the Mini’s wheel through tight corners, occasionally fighting kickback from the wide tires, gives way to a newfound finesse.
—Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 10 Mar. 2026
The Iranian announcer was heaving.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2026
Every gesture, breath, line delivery is heaving with the labor of just trying to get through one day to the next.
—Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025
Some plants with very shallow roots, such as heuchera, astilbe, gaillardia, and strawberry, can be damaged by heaving or uplift of soils caused by freeze-thaw cycles.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 11 Dec. 2025
Set in 1970 suburban Massachusetts, Reichardt's take on the heist genre saw O'Connor laboriously heaving art through a hay barn to comedic effect.
—Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 28 Nov. 2025
Thomas Heaton, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
The Bernabeu was heaving, the fans were longing their team back into the game.
—Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
As the fugitive car careered along the narrow road, the passenger started heaving out hindquarters of venison.
—Dave Duffey, Outdoor Life, 26 Mar. 2026
The feel of heaving the Mini’s wheel through tight corners, occasionally fighting kickback from the wide tires, gives way to a newfound finesse.
—Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 10 Mar. 2026
The Iranian announcer was heaving.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2026
Every gesture, breath, line delivery is heaving with the labor of just trying to get through one day to the next.
—Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025
Some plants with very shallow roots, such as heuchera, astilbe, gaillardia, and strawberry, can be damaged by heaving or uplift of soils caused by freeze-thaw cycles.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 11 Dec. 2025
Set in 1970 suburban Massachusetts, Reichardt's take on the heist genre saw O'Connor laboriously heaving art through a hay barn to comedic effect.
—Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 28 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heaving
Verb
-
But at long last, the drought is over; the NHL has a new dynasty — the 2020s Hurricanes, who are hoisting the Jim Corsi Cup for a fourth straight season.—
Dom Luszczyszyn,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Jannik Sinner kept it classic, strapping on a Rolex Daytona before hoisting the championship trophy at the Miami Open.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The father, Jagdish, told me that one of his children was vomiting and the other had bloody stools; both were depressed.—
Sarah Stillman,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Jolene struggled after the surgery and was vomiting and passing out frequently.—
Vanessa Etienne,
PEOPLE,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Both companies must also learn to operate in lunar orbit, and master landing their vehicles on the Moon and then subsequently lifting them off from the lunar surface.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Hopes for lifting the ban rose after Lee and Xi met twice.—
Ken Moritsugu,
Fortune,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The inning included a play at second base where Luis Arraez was kicked in the throwing hand by Dylan Beavers but remained in the game.—
Jerry McDonald,
Mercury News,
12 Apr. 2026
-
The Pirates also took advantage of Caleb Thielbar’s throwing error to score an unearned run off the lefty reliever in the 11th inning.—
Patrick Mooney,
New York Times,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Eyes wide, panting near panic, Foster perfectly captures the audience's own fear of being alone in the dark with a monster.—
Darren Franich,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Mar. 2026
-
User @briadeshaun took a more relatable route and impersonated an out-of-shape owl, worn out from flying and repeatedly panting to catch its breath.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Two men who had expressed support for the Islamic State were arrested after one was seen hurling a homemade bomb into the protest.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2026
-
What makes Becky Shaw so fulfilling is its cynicism about love and its ruthless method of hurling those frustrations at its audience.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But critics argue lawmakers merely shifted money around while leaving deeper tax, spending and cost-of-living pressures for the next administration, raising a bigger accountability question for voters this fall.—
Baltimore Sun staff,
Baltimore Sun,
16 Apr. 2026
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If passed, the bill would refer a question to the ballot asking voters whether to invest more in K-12 education -- specifically for teacher pay and retention, smaller class sizes, and expanded career and technical education -- without raising taxes.—
Shaun Boyd,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Suarez was excellent on Friday, tossing eight shutout innings to deliver the best start by a Red Sox pitcher so far this season.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
18 Apr. 2026
-
Hot sleepers know the feeling of tossing, turning, and sweating through too-warm bedding especially well, but the proper seasonal bedding can eliminate this issue.—
Maggie Horton,
PEOPLE,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Heaving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heaving. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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