Heave

/hiːv/ · verb

Meaning

(transitive) To lift with difficulty; to raise with some effort; to lift (a heavy thing)..

Definitions by Sense

1. (transitive) To lift with difficulty; to raise with some effort; to lift (a heavy thing).
2. (transitive) To throw, cast.
3. (intransitive) To rise and fall.
4. (transitive) To utter with effort.
5. (transitive, nautical) To pull up with a rope or cable.
6. (transitive, archaic) To lift (generally); to raise, or cause to move upwards (particularly in ships or vehicles) or forwards.
7. (intransitive) To be thrown up or raised; to rise upward, as a tower or mound.
8. (transitive, mining, geology) To displace (a vein, stratum).

Example Sentences

We heaved the chest-of-drawers up to the second-floor landing.

He hove himself out of the bed.

They hove rocks into the pond.

The cap'n hove the body overboard.

Her chest heaved with emotion.

Frequent for breath his panting bosom heaves.

the heaving plain of ocean

Presently the moon went down, and left us floating on the waters, now only heaving like some troubled woman's breast, with leisure to reflect upon all that we had gone through and all that we had escaped.

Synonyms for heave

Antonyms for heave

Related Words

Word Forms

• heaves
• heaving
• heaved
• hove
• hoven
• heft

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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