heaves 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of heave
1
as in hoists
to lift with effort I heaved my duffel bag into the bus's overhead compartment

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in vomits
to discharge the contents of the stomach through the mouth heaved as soon as he stepped off the roller coaster

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in lifts
to move from a lower to a higher place or position heaved the bucket from the bottom of the well

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in throws
to send through the air especially with a quick forward motion of the arm heaved the brick over the fence

Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in gasps
to breathe hard, quickly, or with difficulty by the time he reached the top step of the tower, he was heaving

Synonyms & Similar Words

heaves

2 of 2

noun

plural of heave
as in thrusts

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

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 heaves
Verb
The Smith experience is always going to be a roller coaster, impressive feats of accuracy and arm talent mixed with desperation heaves and maddening turnovers. — Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026 In another video, an emergency worker heaves a large stone aside while working to free people from the wreckage. — Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 25 June 2026 Moscow’s next move, as its skyline heaves with sooty smoke, must be to find a way to accept its weakness, and accommodate it, while not projecting anything other than strength. — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 18 June 2026 And so, in the constant tug-of-war between tradition and innovation, the latest design heaves toward history, meeting the future’s infrastructure needs in comfortingly familiar costume. — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 8 June 2026 When a degraded grassland returns to health, the ground heaves up, as if inhaling with relief. — Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026 If the plane heaves up, the spoilers can press it back down. — Burkhard Bilger, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026 Cover Exposed Roots Sometimes heavy ice and snow heaves newer plants out of the ground. — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 4 Feb. 2026 Aquilla Sadalla’s wordless vocals, a gorgeous swell of howls and heaves, complement the arrangement without becoming the focal point. — Mark Richardson, Pitchfork, 3 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heaves
  1. hoists
  2. vomits
  3. lifts
  4. throws
  5. gasps
  6. thrusts
  7. hurls
  8. raises
Verb
  • The boy then hoists a mop above his head before laying it on the floor and mopping it.
    — Chiara Kim, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Peter Zumthor’s design hoists a serpentine platform atop pavilions that read like stout, truncated legs, making the edifice almost creaturely in its architectural stance.
    — George Baker, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of hoists
Verb
  • Back at the Apollyon, Nas vomits the same black, viscous substance again.
    — Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2026
  • On the night of the reprieve, Owen, cut loose for the evening by his girlfriend, who wants to canoodle with a neighbor, vomits in the vicinity of Allie’s high heels, in what might be called a meet-boot.
    — Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of vomits
Verb
  • One that wears flawlessly for three weeks, makes your hands look beautiful and instantly lifts your mood?
    — Lucy Abbersteen, Allure, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Something might happen on Amazon or TikTok that lifts business at Ulta, Sephora or the department stores.
    — Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of lifts
Verb
  • That's where low-angle sunlight throws mountains and crater rims into sharp relief.
    — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Instead of taking a walk, a batter can sprint around the bases after ball four and continue advancing until the defensive team throws the ball to every fielder.
    — Adam Thompson, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of throws
Verb
  • No friends or strangers to share immediate laughs or gasps with, let alone notes afterward?
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
  • As the curtains pull back, she is revealed standing over the corpse with a bloodied trophy in her hands as the audience gasps.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of gasps
Noun
  • His sister administered back thrusts and, eventually, an abdominal thrust formerly called the Heimlich maneuver.
    — Marvin Hurst, CBS News, 19 Nov. 2025
Definition of thrusts
Verb
  • Frances, in a David-versus-Goliath story, picks up a rock and hurls it at Goliath and hits.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Former Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins hurls a deep ball toward Jefferson in double coverage, and McCardell stops the play.
    — Alec Lewis, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of hurls
Verb
  • Ohio polling raises questions Advertisement As polling consistently shows an advantage for Acton, Republicans are increasingly arguing that the polls may be wrong by just enough to give Ramaswamy the win.
    — Philip Elliott, Time, 19 Oct. 2026
  • The biggest names in movies, music, fashion and beyond pulled out their sartorial best for the annual fundraiser that celebrates cinematic achievement and raises money for the museum.
    — Brittany Talarico, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of raises

Browse Nearby Words

heaven-sent
heaves
heavies
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Heaves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heaves. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of jilt

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All