1
as in hoisting
to lift with effort
I heaved my duffel bag into the bus's overhead compartment
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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
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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
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of heaving
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
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heaving
Verb
-
That’s 22 golfers in all that history says have at least a shot at hoisting the Wanamaker Trophy on Sunday night outside of Philadelphia.—
Brendan Quinn,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
-
Crews rigged a hoisting system using a ladder truck as a high point to raise the victim up to safety, according to fire officials.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
If your dog’s panting is accompanied by episodes of collapse, pale or blue-tinged gums, inability to walk, vomiting, or not eating, take it to an emergency clinic immediately.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 May 2026
-
Clarke recalled crawling to the bathroom and vomiting from the pain before realizing something was seriously wrong.—
Virginia Chamlee,
PEOPLE,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
Japan has recently taken steps to expand its defense posture, including lifting its ban on lethal arms exports and mulling changes to Article 9 of its constitution, which renounces war and the maintenance of armed forces.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
31 May 2026
-
Aside from these new big punchers, the new space age is seeing a plethora of new companies seeking to cut themselves a slice of the market for lifting small payloads, often in multi-satellite deployments, into low Earth orbit.—
David Szondy
May 31,
New Atlas,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
Two nights after throwing 21 pitches over 1⅔ innings, Johnson threw 124 pitches over 7⅓ strong innings to beat the host Aggies (41-14) before a crowd of 6,934.—
Jose de Jesus Ortiz,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
-
Houser grinded through a pair of long innings that ate into his pitch count, throwing 37 pitches in the first inning and 27 more pitches in the third inning.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
Peter waltzes through an indistinguishable parade of such parties, high as a kite on some drug or another, at one point getting pulled into a panting threesome with another guy and handsy British tourist Leonora (Paris Petitjean).—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
16 May 2026
-
The window next to my desk overlooks the gym’s large communal exercise room, and throughout the day, I am taunted by the sight of gyrating bodies panting through a Zumba class or a kettlebell set.—
Rachel Syme,
New Yorker,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Wallen's onstage throwing of the piano this week took place two years after he was arrested in Nashville for hurling a chair off the roof of a bar in Nashville in April 2024.—
Raven Brunner,
PEOPLE,
1 June 2026
-
Romeo Briones was the starting pitcher for Helix, hurling the first 4 2/3 innings before Williams rode to the rescue.—
John Maffei,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
He was recently asked about raising taxes on the rich.—
Stephen Moore,
Boston Herald,
29 May 2026
-
Last year’s conference-final loss to the Florida Panthers — an ugly result for an overmatched roster that had spent the regular season outkicking its coverage, maximizing its performance and raising expectations to an unreasonable level — is on that ledger, too.—
Sean Gentille,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
The video appears to show a person standing with a snow shovel outside the house, near the street, then retreating toward the house and tossing the shovel into the yard.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
-
Toast 1 cup raw walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing halfway through, until golden brown, 8–10 minutes.—
Kamal Mouzawak,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Heaving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heaving. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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