Heave — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

verb noun /ˈhēv/

Meaning & Definition of Heave

Heave (verb)

  1. lift, raise
  2. throw, cast
  3. to utter with obvious effort or with a deep breath

Heave (noun)

  1. an effort to pull or raise something
  2. an act or instance of throwing, hurl
  3. an upward motion, rising; especially, a rhythmical rising

Heave (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to lift with effort

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

    similar: boost, heft, hoist, jack (up), upheave
    related: elevate, hike, pick up, raise, rear, up, uplift, upraise, uprear
    near: depress, drop, lower, sink, submerge, submerse

  2. to discharge the contents of the stomach through the mouth

    "heaved as soon as he stepped off the roller coaster"

    similar: barf, gag, hurl, puke, retch, spew, spit up, throw up, upchuck, vomit, lose one's lunch (slang), toss one's cookies
    related: disgorge, regurgitate, eject, expel, nauseate

  3. to move from a lower to a higher place or position

    "heaved the bucket from the bottom of the well"

    similar: boost, crane, elevate, heft, heighten, hike, hoist, jack (up), lift, perk (up), pick up, raise, take up, up, uphold, uplift, upraise
    related: ascend, mount, rise, rear, upend
    opposite: drop, lower
    near: descend, dip, fall, pitch, plunge, slip, bear, depress, press, push, sink, submerge

  4. to send through the air especially with a quick forward motion of the arm

    "heaved the brick over the fence"

    similar: cast, catapult, chuck, dash, fire, fling, hurl, hurtle, launch, lob, loft, peg, pelt, pitch, sling, throw, toss, let fly
    related: bowl, dart, flip, gun, hook, pass, roll, shoot, buck, eject, impel, precipitate, project, propel, rifle, thrust

  5. to breathe hard, quickly, or with difficulty

    "by the time he reached the top step of the tower, he was heaving"

    similar: blow, gasp, hyperventilate, pant, puff, wheeze, be out of breath
    related: choke, gag, gulp, huff, asphyxiate, smother, stifle, strangle, snore, snuffle, exhale, expire

Heave (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. as in upheaval, thrust

    similar: thrust, upheaval, uplifting, upraising, upsurge, upsweep, upswing, upthrust, uptrend, upturn, upwelling, ascension, ascent, climb, rise, rising, soar, boost, hike, raise, blastoff, elevation, hoist, levitation, liftoff, raising, takeoff
    opposite: plop, plummeting, sinking, decline, decrease, down, comedown, downfall, downgrade, descent, dip, dive, drop, fall, nosedive, plunge

Related Entry: Heave-ho (noun)

Heave-ho is a different word from Heave. The synonyms below are for heave-ho, not for heave.

  1. as in sack, firing

    similar: bird (chiefly British), boot, bum's rush, downsizing, firing, sack, pink slip, closing, shutdown, ax, discharge, dismissal, furlough, layoff, redundancy (chiefly British), shakeout, shake-up
    opposite: callback, recall, reemployment, rehire, rehiring

Related Entry: Heave-hos (noun)

Heave-hos is a different word from Heave. The synonyms below are for heave-hos, not for heave.

  1. as in sacks, boots

    similar: birds (chiefly British), boots, bum's rushes, firings, sacks, pink slips, closings, shutdowns, axes, discharges, dismissals, furloughs, layoffs, redundancies (chiefly British), shakeouts, shake-ups
    opposite: callbacks, recalls, reemployments, rehires

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Heave

The most common words with a similar meaning to Heave:

Slang: lose one's lunch
boost, heft, hoist, jack (up), upheave, barf, gag, hurl, puke, retch, spew, spit up, throw up, upchuck, vomit, crane, elevate, heighten, hike, lift, perk (up), pick up, raise, take up, up, uphold, uplift, upraise, cast, catapult, chuck, dash, fire, fling, hurtle, launch, lob, loft, peg, pelt

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Heave

Words with the opposite meaning of Heave:

drop, lower, plop, plummeting, sinking, decline, decrease, down, comedown, downfall, downgrade, descent, dip, dive, fall, nosedive, plunge

Related Words for Heave

rear, uprear, disgorge, regurgitate, eject, expel, nauseate, ascend, mount, upend, bowl, dart, flip, gun, hook, pass, roll, shoot, buck, impel, precipitate, project, propel, rifle, choke, gulp, huff, asphyxiate, smother, stifle

Near Antonyms of Heave

depress, sink, submerge, submerse, descend, pitch, slip, bear, press, push

Word Forms of Heave

Inflections: heaved, hove, heaving

Derived words: heaver (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Heave

Middle English heven, from Old English hebban; akin to Old High German hevan to lift, Latin capere to take

First known use: before 12th centuryt

Words & Phrases Containing Heave

heave-ho, heave to, heave into view, frost heave, the (old) heave-ho

Frequently Asked Questions about Heave

What does "Heave" mean?

"Heave" means lift, raise. As an a verb and a noun, it is defined as: lift, raise. It has 6 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Heave"?

Other words for "Heave" include boost, heft, hoist, jack (up), upheave, barf, gag and hurl. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Heave" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Heave"?

There are 112 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Heave". Common alternatives include boost, heft, hoist, jack (up), upheave, barf, gag, hurl, puke and retch.

What is the opposite of "Heave"?

Antonyms of "Heave" include drop, lower, plop, plummeting, sinking, decline, decrease and down. Near antonyms include depress, sink, submerge and submerse.

How do you use "Heave" in a sentence?

Examples of "Heave" in a sentence: "I heaved my duffel bag into the bus's overhead compartment"; "heaved as soon as he stepped off the roller coaster"; "heaved the bucket from the bottom of the well".

Is "Heave" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Heave" can be used as a verb and a noun, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Heave"?

"Heave" is pronounced /ˈhēv/.

What is the origin of the word "Heave"?

"Heave" comes from Middle English heven, from Old English hebban; akin to Old High German hevan to lift, Latin capere to take. First known use: before 12th centuryt.