heave

verb
UK: /hiːv/
US: /hiːv/

  1. To lift or move something heavy with great effort.

    1. Heave that box, please. [ ] [ ]
    2. They had to heave the piano up the stairs with ropes and pulleys. [ ] [ ]

  2. To throw something with effort.

    1. Heave the rope to me. [ ] [ ]
    2. The sailor had to heave the anchor overboard during the storm. [ ] [ ]

  3. To breathe deeply or exhale audibly, often with a sigh.

    1. She heaved a sigh. [ ] [ ]
    2. He heaved a deep breath of relief after finishing the exam. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

lift toss exhale raise sigh throw
heave noun

  1. An act of lifting or throwing something heavy.

    1. Give it a heave now. [ ] [ ]
    2. With a final heave, they managed to move the boulder. [ ] [ ]

  2. The motion of a ship rising and falling in the sea.

    1. The heave of the ship made him sick. [ ] [ ]
    2. We felt the heave of the ocean as the storm approached our vessel. [ ] [ ]
heave phrasal-verb

  1. (phrasal verb: heave to) To stop a ship by turning it into the wind.

    1. Heave to, Captain! [ ] [ ]
    2. The captain ordered the crew to heave to during the squall. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "heave" in English means: To lift or move something heavy with great effort., To throw something with effort., To breathe deeply or exhale audibly, often with a sigh..

The phonetic transcription of "heave" is /hiːv/ in British English and /hiːv/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "heave": lift, toss, exhale, raise, sigh, throw.

Example usage of "heave": "Heave that box, please.". More examples on the page.