heave 1 of 3

1
as in to hoist
to lift with effort I heaved my duffel bag into the bus's overhead compartment

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2
as in to vomit
to discharge the contents of the stomach through the mouth heaved as soon as he stepped off the roller coaster

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3
4
5
as in to gasp
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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heave

2 of 3

noun

heaved

3 of 3

verb (2)

variants or hove
past tense of heave
1
2
as in vomited
to discharge the contents of the stomach through the mouth heaved as soon as he stepped off the roller coaster

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3
4
5
as in gasped
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of heave
Verb
Later, heaving Victorian-era steel machines, monitored by twisthands — human machine operators overseeing the twisting, knitting and braiding of cotton into delicate lace — mechanized the industry. Leah Dolan, CNN, 4 Feb. 2025 Kansas City was down 20-10 at the midway point of the fourth quarter when on third and 15, Mahomes backed up 10 yards and heaved the ball to wide receiver Tyreek Hill for a 44-yard gain. Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 28 Jan. 2025
Noun
Thornton’s last heave banked off the glass and succeeded despite relentless man-to-man defense by Rice. Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 7 Feb. 2025 My hand hurt from writing down every death, every instrument of killing: a knife, a .45 Colt, a rope, a heave into the sea. Jes Aznar, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for heave
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heave
Noun
  • The movie, full of extraordinary footage, returns us to that moment when the promise of space carried a spiritual thrust.
    Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 9 Mar. 2025
  • Together they are designed to provide the 8.8 million pounds of thrust to propel Orion to deep-space destinations.
    Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel, 9 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Social Security Administration leadership upheaval The Department of Government Efficiency, also known as DOGE, is not a federal department.
    Lorie Konish, CNBC, 1 Mar. 2025
  • But, this season has been dominated by injuries and roster upheaval.
    Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 27 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Although the fertility rate in neighboring South Korea rose in 2024 for the first time in nine years, thanks to measures to spur young people to marry and have children, the trend in Japan has yet to show an upturn.
    Reuters, NBC News, 27 Feb. 2025
  • City have been struggling for nearly four months and there is still no upturn in sight.
    Sam Lee, The Athletic, 12 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • More generally, the South has seen inventory climb and market pace slow over the last year as buyers stick to the sidelines, thwarted by still-high home prices and mortgage rates.
    Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 26 Feb. 2025
  • The Sabres began Saturday 12 points out of the second wild-card spot with only 28 games to play, a near-impossible climb.
    Matthew Fairburn, The Athletic, 22 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • All create an environment in which Redwood's character's soar — and quite literally, too, thanks to climbing choreography and vertical movement by BANDALOOP that propels the show's actors high into the air.
    Raven Brunner, People.com, 14 Feb. 2025
  • The sequel to McCartney, which arrived a decade earlier, improves from No. 42 to No. 34 on the Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart as interest in the project—or at least one song on its tracklist—soars.
    Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • Jessie Montgomery, Carlos Simon, Huang Ruo, and other nonwhite composers benefitted from an upsurge of performances.
    Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025
  • In the 1890s, amid the convulsive changes of the industrial era and an upsurge in labor conflict and farmers’ political organizing, nearly four million African Americans were stripped of their voting rights.
    Suzanne Mettler, Foreign Affairs, 7 Aug. 2020
Noun
  • Even though ratings have been on an upswing, with last year’s edition the most-viewed since 2020, in historical terms the current universe of possible audience is significantly diminished.
    Dade Hayes, Deadline, 2 Mar. 2025
  • Bloom 21-8 (5) Blazing Trojans and Jayla Tyler enter week on upswing with seven-game winning streak.
    Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Heave.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heave. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.

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