What does "heave" mean?
An effort to raise something, such as a weight or one's own body, or to move something heavy.
Heave
/hiːv/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An effort to raise something, such as a weight or one's own body, or to move something heavy.
- Grammar: heave is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: lift, raise, retch, a leg up.
- Useful contrasts: catch, depress, descend.
- Usage evidence: This ship is outfitted with a windlass to heave up the anchor.
How to use "heave"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "heave" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "heave" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "heave" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "heave" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "heave" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "lift" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "heave", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An effort to raise something, such as a weight or one's own body, or to move something heavy. countable
"We gave one more heave and the wall toppled over at last."
- 2 throwing something heavy (with great effort) wordnet
- 3 An upward motion; a rising; a swell or distention, as of the breast in difficult breathing, of the waves, of the earth in an earthquake, etc. countable, uncountable
"and now the bed shook, the curtains rattled so, that I could scarce hear the sighs and murmurs, the heaves and pantings that accompanied the action, from the beginning to the end"
- 4 the act of raising something wordnet
- 5 A horizontal dislocation in a metallic lode, taking place at an intersection with another lode. countable, uncountable
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 an involuntary spasm of ineffectual vomiting wordnet
- 7 The measure of extent to which a nautical vessel goes up and down in a short period of time. countable, uncountable
- 8 the act of lifting something with great effort wordnet
- 9 An effort to vomit; retching. countable, uncountable
- 10 (geology) a horizontal dislocation wordnet
- 11 Broken wind in horses. attributive, countable, rare, uncountable
"The dust would have to be watched out for with a heave horse, and most alfalfa hay..."
- 12 an upward movement (especially a rhythmical rising and falling) wordnet
- 13 A forceful shot in which the ball follows a high trajectory countable, uncountable
"That left 15 needed from Boult's final set. Two dots were followed by a heave over deep mid-wicket, then came the outrageous moment of fortune."
Verb
- 1 To lift with difficulty; to raise with some effort; to lift (a heavy thing). transitive
"We heaved the chest-of-drawers up to the second-floor landing."
- 2 breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted wordnet
- 3 To throw, cast. transitive
"They hove rocks into the pond."
- 4 make an unsuccessful effort to vomit; strain to vomit wordnet
- 5 To rise and fall. intransitive
"Her chest heaved with emotion."
Show 16 more definitions
- 6 bend out of shape, as under pressure or from heat wordnet
- 7 To utter with effort. transitive
"She heaved a sigh and stared out of the window."
- 8 utter a sound, as with obvious effort wordnet
- 9 To pull up with a rope or cable. transitive
"Heave up the anchor there, boys!"
- 10 lift or elevate wordnet
- 11 To lift (generally); to raise, or cause to move upwards (particularly in ships or vehicles) or forwards. archaic, transitive
"Here a little child I stand, / Heaving up my either hand; […]"
- 12 throw with great effort wordnet
- 13 To be thrown up or raised; to rise upward, as a tower or mound. intransitive
"The grovving Tovv'rs like Exhalations riſe, / And the huge Columns heave into the Skies."
- 14 rise and move, as in waves or billows wordnet
- 15 To displace (a vein, stratum). transitive
- 16 move or cause to move in a specified way, direction, or position wordnet
- 17 To cause to swell or rise, especially in repeated exertions. archaic, transitive
"The wind heaved the waves."
- 18 To move in a certain direction or into a certain position or situation. ambitransitive
"to heave the ship ahead"
- 19 To retch, to make an effort to vomit; to vomit. intransitive
"The smell of the old cheese was enough to make you heave."
- 20 To make an effort to raise, throw, or move anything; to strain to do something difficult. intransitive
"She [The Church of England] had ſtruggl'd and heav'd at a Reformation; ever ſince Wicliffs dayes, for about a 150 years together: […]"
- 21 To rob; to steal from; to plunder. British, obsolete
"Ben mort (good vvench) ſhal you and I heaue a booth, mill a ken, or nip a bung? ſhall you and I rob a houſe, or cut a purſe?"
Example
"This ship is outfitted with a windlass to heave up the anchor."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "heave"?
Common synonyms include: lift, raise, retch, a leg up, aye, barf.
How do you use "heave" in a sentence?
This ship is outfitted with a windlass to heave up the anchor.
How do you pronounce "heave"?
Pronounced /hiːv/.
Etymology
From Middle English heven, hebben, from Old English hebban, from Proto-West Germanic *habbjan, from Proto-Germanic *habjaną (“to take up, lift”), from Proto-Indo-European *kh₂pyéti, from the root *kap-. See also have. Cognates Cognate with West Frisian heffe, Dutch heffen ("to raise", "to lift"), German heben ("to raise", "to lift"), Danish hæve ("to raise", "to lift"), Albanian kap (“I grasp, seize”), Old Irish cáin (“law, tribute”), cacht (“prisoner”), Latin capiō (“to take”), Latvian kàmpt (“to seize”), Ancient Greek κάπτω (káptō, “to gulp down”), κώπη (kṓpē, “handle”)). (To lift, to raise): Compare typologically Russian поднима́ть (podnimátʹ), подня́ть (podnjátʹ) (akin to има́ть (imátʹ), име́ть (imétʹ) < Proto-Slavic *jьmati, *jьměti).