heave

The definition of heave is to lift something heavy, or throw something far or with great effort, or to try to vomit.

(verb)

  1. When you struggle to lift a heavy object, this is an example of a time when you heave.
  2. When you throw something across the room, this is an example of a time when you heave it across the room.
  3. When you try to throw up and make retching noises, this is an example of a time when you heave.

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See heave in Webster's New World College Dictionary

transitive verb heaved, hove, heaving

  1. to raise or lift, esp. with effort
    1. to lift in this way and throw or cast
    2. to throw
  2. to make rise or swell, as one's chest
  3. to utter (a sigh, groan, etc.) with great effort or pain
  4. Geol. to displace (a stratum or vein), as by the intersection of another stratum or vein
  5. Naut. to raise, haul, pull, move, etc. by pulling with a rope or cable

Origin: ME heven < OE hebban, akin to Ger heben (Goth hafjan) < IE base *kap-, to seize, grasp > have, L capere

intransitive verb

  1. to swell up; bulge out
  2. to rise and fall rhythmically: heaving waves
  3. to make strenuous, spasmodic movements of the throat, chest, or stomach; specif.,
    1. to retch; vomit or try to vomit
    2. to pant; breathe hard; gasp
  4. Naut.
    1. to tug or haul (on or at a cable, rope, etc.)
    2. to push (at a capstan to turn it)
    3. to proceed; move: a ship hove into sight

noun

  1. the act or effort of heaving
  2. a throw
  3. Geol.
    1. the extent of horizontal displacement caused by a fault
    2. an upward displacement of soil, rocks, etc., usually caused by frost or moisture
      often called heaving

Related Forms:

See heave in American Heritage Dictionary 4

verb heaved heaved, heav·ing, heaves
verb, transitive
  1. To raise or lift, especially with great effort or force: heaved the box of books onto the table. See Synonyms at lift.
  2. a. To throw (a heavy object) with great effort; hurl: heave the shot; heaved a brick through the window.
    b. To throw or toss: heaved his backpack into the corner.
  3. To utter with effort or pain: heaved a groan of despair.
  4. To vomit (something).
  5. past tense and past participle hove hove (hōv) Nautical
    a. To raise or haul up by means of a rope, line, or cable: hove the anchor up and set sail.
    b. To move (a ship) in a certain direction or into a certain position by hauling: hove the ship astern.
  6. To make rise or swell: the wind heaving huge waves; an exhausted dog heaving its chest.
  7. Geology To displace or move (a vein, lode, or stratum, for example).
verb, intransitive
  1. To rise up or swell, as if pushed up; bulge: The sidewalk froze and heaved.
  2. To rise and fall in turn, as waves.
  3. To gag or vomit.
  4. past tense and past participle hove hove Nautical
    a. To move in a certain direction or to a specified position: The frigate hove alongside.
    b. To pull at or haul a rope or cable: The brig is heaving around on the anchor.
    c. To push at a capstan bar or lever.
noun
  1. The effort of heaving.
  2. An act of hurling; a throw, especially when considered in terms of distance: a heave of 63 feet.
  3. Geology A horizontal dislocation, as of a rock stratum, at a fault.
  4. An upward movement.
  5. The act or an instance of gagging or vomiting.
  6. heaves (used with a sing. or pl. verb) A pulmonary disease of horses that is characterized by respiratory irregularities, such as coughing, and is noticeable especially after exercise or in cold weather.
Phrasal Verb: heave to Nautical To turn a sailing ship so that its bow heads into the wind and the ship lies motionless except for drifting, in order to meet a storm: The brig hove to. To turn an engine-powered vessel in a similar situation so that its bow heads into the seas while proceeding at low speed.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English heven

Origin: , from Old English hebban; see kap- in Indo-European roots

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Related Forms:

  • heavˈer noun

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