Heave (Verb)
Meaning 1
Utter a sound, as with obvious effort; "She heaved a deep sigh when she saw the list of things to do".
Classification
Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing.
Examples
- The exhausted hiker heaved a deep sigh as he gazed up at the mountain peak.
- She heaved a sigh of relief when the exam results were finally announced.
- He heaved a tired groan and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
- The old man heaved a heavy sigh and began telling his war stories again.
- The young student heaved a frustrated sigh and slammed her pencil on the desk.
Hypernyms
Meaning 2
Lift or elevate.
Classification
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging.
Examples
- She had to heave the heavy box onto the table to get it out of the way.
- The construction workers used a crane to heave the massive pipe into place.
- The crew worked together to heave the anchor out of the water.
- The two men had to heave the old refrigerator up the stairs to get it to the new apartment.
- The firefighters used a pulley system to heave the trapped person to safety.
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Meaning 3
Move or cause to move in a specified way, direction, or position; "The vessel hove into sight".
Classification
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming.
Examples
- The sailors struggled to heave the heavy anchor into place.
- She heaved a sigh of relief after finally finishing her exams.
- The waves began to heave violently as the storm drew closer.
- The crowd erupted in a collective heave as the home team scored the winning goal.
- As the storm subsided, the ship began to heave back onto an even keel.
Meaning 4
Make an unsuccessful effort to vomit; strain to vomit.
Classification
Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care.
Examples
- She heaved her chest over the edge of the toilet, but nothing came up.
- After drinking too much the night before, he heaved into the bathroom sink.
- The poor child heaved and retched but couldn't seem to throw up.
- She stumbled out of the room, her body heaving with the effort to keep her lunch down.
- The smell of the spoiled milk made her heave and she rushed to the bathroom.
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Meaning 5
Rise and move, as in waves or billows; "The army surged forward".
Classification
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming.
Examples
- The stormy sea began to heave and foam as the wind grew stronger.
- A loud explosion caused the ground to heave violently beneath their feet.
- As the music reached its climax, the crowd started to heave against the barriers.
- Waves began to heave and crash against the rocky coastline as night fell.
- The smell of smoke caused the air to heave and churn with noxious fumes.
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Meaning 6
Breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted; "The runners reached the finish line, panting heavily".
Classification
Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care.
Examples
- After climbing the entire mountain the hikers heaved to catch their breath.
- The boxer heaved heavily under the intense pressure of the match.
- He began to heave so I knew he was nearing the point of exhaustion.
- The overweight dog heaved trying to pull along while on its walk in the hot summer.
- He started to run until he became winded and began to heave struggling for every breath.
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Meaning 7
Bend out of shape, as under pressure or from heat; "The highway buckled during the heat wave".
Classification
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc..
Examples
- The old bridge's metal framework began to heave under the stress of years of harsh weather conditions.
- The intense heat in the room caused the pavement outside to heave and crack.
- As the earthquake struck, the dense rock layers beneath the city began to heave, causing widespread destruction.
- The intense flames engulfed the vehicle, causing the metal body to heave and eventually collapse.
- A combination of heat and age led to the wooden deck of the old ship starting to heave and twist.
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Meaning 8
Throw with great effort.
Classification
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging.
Examples
- The weightlifter heaved the barbell overhead with a loud grunt of effort.
- He heaved a rock into the nearby pond, creating a large splash.
- After several failed attempts, she finally managed to heave the heavy box onto the truck.
- The team worked together to heave the massive wooden beam into place.
- With a mighty heave, the firefighter pulled the injured person to safety.