1
as in weight
the amount that something weighs
some synthetic fabrics are nice and warm, but I prefer wool because it has more heft
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in influence
the power to direct the thinking or behavior of others usually indirectly
as a former senator, he still had some heft in political circles
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in bulk
archaic
the main or greater part of something as distinguished from its subordinate parts
the heft of the wainwright's business had been the building of hay wagons
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
2
as in to lift
to move from a lower to a higher place or position
heft your baggy gym shorts a little higher—you're showing us more than we care to see
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of heft
Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 24 Apr. 2026
While there are not a lot of players who are capable of adapting to any kind of role and heft of scoring load, there are better perimeter operators out in the market.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 24 Apr. 2026
NPR, 30 Oct. 2025
Here in our yards, long years of earth have been hefted by hand and heaped up on tarps.
—Steven Searcy, IEEE Spectrum, 31 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heft
Noun
The roughly thirty-pound latex belly that Harbour wore to give Floyd extra heft is on full display in the show’s final episode, when Floyd and Clark strip down to their boxer briefs and dance by the pool lockers in a kind of tête-à-tête disco.
—Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 24 Apr. 2026
While there are not a lot of players who are capable of adapting to any kind of role and heft of scoring load, there are better perimeter operators out in the market.
—Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 24 Apr. 2026
Verb
Candy is dandy but trick or treat for UNICEF has heft.
—NPR, 30 Oct. 2025
Here in our yards, long years of earth have been hefted by hand and heaped up on tarps.
—Steven Searcy, IEEE Spectrum, 31 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heft
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heft
Noun
-
Far below the most abstract undulating curved frozen shapes where the weight of the sea ice has forged the shoreline into a white sculpture park.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
21 May 2026
-
Steel pipes and tendons provide tensile strength, while thatch and mud bear its crushing weight.—
Stefan Ionescu
May 20,
New Atlas,
20 May 2026
Noun
-
Kofman’s article chronicles the path of such ideas from the fringes to the mainstream, outlining their influence on figures such as Peter Thiel, Stephen Miller, and Elon Musk.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
20 May 2026
-
The first two signal the domestic draw that pulls her lover into her orbit, time and time again; the last, her unwillingness to be cowed when the powers that be come to threaten her—and her influence over the other characters, to resist the bootheel of the bully.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
Noun
-
That kind of judgment doesn't arrive in bulk.—
Daniel Gumucio,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
-
Shopping in bulk can save you a ton of money.—
Emily Williams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
22 May 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Some nights the crowd heaves outside Mắm and the feeling is catch as catch can, diners hunched on low plastic stools eating off only slightly taller plastic tables, on the sidewalk and in the street, even spilling over to a nearby empty storefront.—
Ligaya Mishan,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
As captain, Poulin got the 35-pound Walter Cup first, lifting it over her head as confetti exploded around her.—
Hailey Salvian,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
-
But what if the embargo gets lifted tomorrow?—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
20 May 2026
Noun
-
Singapore is a global financial hub with particular sway across Southeast Asia, and global financial institutions use the city as a home base for their operations in the region.—
Justin Worland,
Time,
22 May 2026
-
Despite his advanced age, Castro is viewed as holding sway over the government and its revolutionary legacy.—
Chris Kenning,
USA Today,
21 May 2026
Noun
-
Hormones take the child’s body at puberty and conjure from it the adult form, directing the ovaries to mature their eggs or the testicles to produce sperm, each of these gametes containing the potential to create new life.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
-
Made from a lightweight, stretchy jersey material, this top naturally drapes gorgeously across the body.—
Caroline Hughes,
Travel + Leisure,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
Nevada County Consolidated firefighters hoisted a person who was stranded on a rock in the South Yuba River to safety Monday afternoon, officials said.—
Sean Campbell,
Sacbee.com,
19 May 2026
-
The regular season has remained a pretty good indicator of which team is going to hoist the Larry O’Brien.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
19 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Heft.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heft. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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