Synonyms of heaving

heaving

verb

present participle of heave

1

as in hoisting

to lift with effort

I heaved my duffel bag into the bus's overhead compartment

Synonyms & Similar Words

• hoisting
• hefting
• upheaving
• raising
• boosting
• jacking (up)
• elevating
• rearing
• upping
• uplifting
• hiking
• upraising
• uprearing
• picking up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• lowering
• dropping
• depressing
• sinking
• submerging
• submersing

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

• vomiting
• hurling
• retching
• puking
• gagging
• ejecting
• barfing
• spewing
• upchucking
• throwing up
• spitting up
• disgorging
• losing one's lunch
• regurgitating
• tossing one's cookies
• expelling
• nauseating

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

• lifting
• raising
• hoisting
• elevating
• craning
• uplifting
• hefting
• heightening
• upholding
• upping
• hiking
• boosting
• taking up
• rising
• mounting
• jacking (up)
• ascending
• upraising
• picking up
• perking (up)
• rearing
• upending

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• falling
• lowering
• dropping
• descending
• slipping
• pushing
• plunging
• pressing
• bearing
• dipping
• sinking
• pitching
• depressing
• submerging

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

• throwing
• hurling
• tossing
• flinging
• slinging
• firing
• launching
• hurtling
• pelting
• chucking
• casting
• pitching
• bowling
• catapulting
• darting
• lobbing
• dashing
• pegging
• lofting
• flipping
• rolling
• thrusting
• letting fly
• gunning
• propelling
• precipitating
• projecting
• ejecting
• passing
• hooking
• bucking
• shooting
• impelling
• rifling

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

• panting
• gasping
• wheezing
• puffing
• snoring
• blowing
• choking
• hyperventilating
• gulping
• huffing
• being out of breath
• gagging
• asphyxiating
• strangling
• stifling
• smothering
• snuffling
• exhaling
• expiring

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of heaving

Niemann hit two drives off the property, chopped his way up the fairway and finally lost it by heaving his club. — Doug Ferguson, Chicago Tribune, 20 June 2026

The 1926 storm was more like a steamroller, heaving its hurricane strength winds across 135 miles, from the Keys to West Palm Beach, for nearly 18 hours. — Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 3 June 2026

At the Australian Open, the grounds were heaving and there were lengthy lines to get into smaller courts and for food and drink outlets. — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 23 May 2026

Food and drink All-day restaurant Pure serves up a sprawling breakfast buffet complete with omelette and pancake stations, heaving tropical fruit platters, and baked goods galore, including Polynesian treats like coconut bread. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 May 2026

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

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