1
as in hoisting
to lift with effort
I heaved my duffel bag into the bus's overhead compartment
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
The Iranian announcer was heaving.
—
Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2026
Then the Ducks started launching citrus fruit left and right, with Benson heaving one toward the stands, trying to reach his little brothers.
—Ralph D. Russo, New York Times, 2 Jan. 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
On the final play of the first half of Sunday's matchup, Mayfield went down in a significant amount of pain after heaving a Hail Mary pass towards the end zone.
—Reice Shipley, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Nov. 2025
Roses planted too late in fall risk heaving from freeze–thaw cycles or suffering root injury before dormancy.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Nov. 2025
But drawing an over-aggressive, poor-technique personal foul on a 60-yard attempt for a guy trying a field goal 12 yards longer than any attempt in his career is akin to fouling a basketball player heaving a three-quarters court shot at the buzzer while trailing by two.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 15 Sep. 2025
Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2026
Then the Ducks started launching citrus fruit left and right, with Benson heaving one toward the stands, trying to reach his little brothers.
—Ralph D. Russo, New York Times, 2 Jan. 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
On the final play of the first half of Sunday's matchup, Mayfield went down in a significant amount of pain after heaving a Hail Mary pass towards the end zone.
—Reice Shipley, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Nov. 2025
Roses planted too late in fall risk heaving from freeze–thaw cycles or suffering root injury before dormancy.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Nov. 2025
But drawing an over-aggressive, poor-technique personal foul on a 60-yard attempt for a guy trying a field goal 12 yards longer than any attempt in his career is akin to fouling a basketball player heaving a three-quarters court shot at the buzzer while trailing by two.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 15 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heaving
Verb
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White nationalists at Charlottesville marched hoisting Roman flags, and far-right internet personalities adopted Roman pseudonyms.—
Chang Che,
New Yorker,
8 Mar. 2026
-
But plenty of other contenders made trades to take a shot at hoisting hockey’s hallowed trophy, including the Central Division rival Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Two weeks later, Amalia started vomiting, then losing weight.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
1 Mar. 2026
-
Two weeks later, Amalia started vomiting, then losing weight.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Juraj Slafkovsky put Montreal in front less than five minutes before the second intermission, lifting a wrist shot over Kuemper’s glove from the slot.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2026
-
On Sunday afternoon, Nathan MacKinnon scored the decisive goal in a shootout, lifting the Avalanche to a 3-2 come-from-behind win over the Wild in their final meeting of the regular season.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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He is shut down from throwing for a couple of weeks, is scheduled to be reevaluated in two weeks and then start plyos at the end of March.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Mar. 2026
-
True enough, and that’s because lawmakers have insisted on throwing money at problems by burdening Californians with some of the highest taxes in the country.—
Rafael Perez,
Oc Register,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
-
Her dog panting, unquestioning, always thrilled to see her.—
Allegra Goodman,
New Yorker,
4 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Innovation is essential, but hurling attacks based on no evidence or disputed by facts, is unfair, and unjust.—
Stanley S. Litow,
New York Daily News,
8 Mar. 2026
-
At least 54 arrested after allegedly blocking roads, hurling rocks in anti-ICE unrest.—
,
FOXNews.com,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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There are dangers that the entire global supply chain could be upended, raising costs for businesses and their customers.—
Vanessa Yurkevich,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
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Many young people in China complain that the cost of raising children is too high and that job prospects are too low.—
Janis Mackey Frayer,
NBC news,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Rather than tossing your wallet, phone, boarding pass, and other loose items into a security bin, keep them together inside a small belt bag.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Mar. 2026
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Some gardeners have great success tossing orange peels around the garden to repel cats.—
Lee Wallender,
The Spruce,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Heaving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heaving. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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