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heave

heave

4 5.5
A strong lift or pull of something heavy
  • noun
  • /hiːv/
translation icon : tirón
  • "Heave!" he cried as the drum beat, and both gave their utmost heaves.
  • give a heave
  • make a heave
  • one last heave

Examples

  • The piano is carefully lowered and, with a heave, topples over.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • After a few heaves, his body relaxes and he catches his breath.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • With a heave and a ho

  • With one last heave, Will gets the armoire to the window.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • Rest a moment, I whisper to him, lie still and catch your breath, and then give a good heave to the left.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • A short struggle, a couple of heaves, and they hoisted her aboard.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • With a single heave of his shoulders, he lifted the sagging door and slammed it shut.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • With a mighty heave, he lifted the heavy box onto the shelf.

  • The workers took a deep breath before making another heave to move the boulder.

  • After several heaves, they finally got the statue upright in its place.

Synonyms

lift
vsheave
12 1.0

An act of raising something or a movement upward

focuses on heavy objects moved with strong effort or force
raise
vsheave
4 2.9

An act of lifting something to a higher position

involves heavy pulling or throwing, not only moving upward
heaving
vsheave
1 3.9

A strong, hard lift or throw of something heavy

involves lifting or pulling heavy things with effort but less extreme

Antonyms

1.8

To let someone or something go free from being held

1.0

To let something fall suddenly or by accident

Idioms

4 8.5

To tell someone to leave their job or to stop using something

Compounds

8.0

Soil or road that rises when water in the ground freezes and expands

How Forceful

to throw
1.0
heave
4 5.5
to hoist
79 4.7
lift
12 1.0
to push
1.0
nudge
23 3.5

Surface Forms

heave singular
heaves plural

Etymology

Heave as a noun comes from the old English verb hebban 'to lift', so a heave is simply a strong 'lift' or pull — one hard effort to move something heavy.