heave meaning

UK /hiːv/ US /hiv/ 1 syllable

heave (verb): utter a sound, as with obvious effort.

heave has 14 meanings in this dictionary, as verb and noun.

heave as a verb

  1. utter a sound, as with obvious effort
    • She heaved a deep sigh when she saw the list of things to do

    Type of: utter

  2. throw with great effort

    Type of: throw

    Related forms: heaving

  3. rise and move, as in waves or billows
    • The army surged forward

    Synonyms: billow, surge

    Type of: inflate

    Related forms: heaving

  4. lift or elevate

    Synonyms: heave up, heft, heft up

    Type of: lift

    Kinds: upheave, weigh anchor

    Related forms: heaver, heaving

  5. move or cause to move in a specified way, direction, or position
    • The vessel hove into sight

    Type of: move

  6. breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
    • The runners reached the finish line, panting heavily

    Synonyms: pant, puff, gasp

    Type of: blow

    Related forms: heaving

  7. bend out of shape, as under pressure or from heat
    • The highway buckled during the heat wave

    Synonyms: buckle, warp

    Type of: change surface

    Kinds: lift

  8. make an unsuccessful effort to vomit; strain to vomit

    Synonyms: gag, retch

heave as a noun

  1. an upward movement (especially a rhythmical rising and falling)
    • the heaving of waves on a rough sea

    Synonyms: heaving

    Type of: rise

  2. the act of lifting something with great effort

    Synonyms: heaving

    Type of: rise

  3. throwing something heavy (with great effort)
    • he gave it a mighty heave
    • he was not good at heaving passes

    Synonyms: heaving

    Type of: throw

  4. (geology) a horizontal dislocation

    Type of: movement

  5. an involuntary spasm of ineffectual vomiting
    • a bad case of the heaves

    Synonyms: retch

    Type of: spasm

  6. the act of raising something
    • he responded with a lift of his eyebrow
    • fireman learn several different raises for getting ladders up

    Synonyms: lift, raise

    Type of: propulsion

How to pronounce heave

heave is pronounced /hiːv/ in British English and /hiv/ in American English. It has 1 syllable.

Words that rhyme with heave

Scrabble score: 11 (letter breakdown)

Word lists: words starting with HE · words ending in VE · 5-letter words

More about heave on Wikipedia.