1
as in hoisting
to lift with effort
I heaved my duffel bag into the bus's overhead compartment
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in vomiting
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 lifting
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 throwing
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 panting
to breathe hard, quickly, or with difficulty
by the time he reached the top step of the tower, he was heaving
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of heaving
In photo after photo, video after video, North Shore residents are painted in mud, scraping it off driveways, sweeping it out of kitchens and heaving it into trucks along with their household debris.
—
Thomas Heaton, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
The Bernabeu was heaving, the fans were longing their team back into the game.
—Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
As the fugitive car careered along the narrow road, the passenger started heaving out hindquarters of venison.
—Dave Duffey, Outdoor Life, 26 Mar. 2026
The feel of heaving the Mini’s wheel through tight corners, occasionally fighting kickback from the wide tires, gives way to a newfound finesse.
—Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 10 Mar. 2026
The Iranian announcer was heaving.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2026
Every gesture, breath, line delivery is heaving with the labor of just trying to get through one day to the next.
—Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025
Some plants with very shallow roots, such as heuchera, astilbe, gaillardia, and strawberry, can be damaged by heaving or uplift of soils caused by freeze-thaw cycles.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 11 Dec. 2025
Set in 1970 suburban Massachusetts, Reichardt's take on the heist genre saw O'Connor laboriously heaving art through a hay barn to comedic effect.
—Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 28 Nov. 2025
Thomas Heaton, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
The Bernabeu was heaving, the fans were longing their team back into the game.
—Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
As the fugitive car careered along the narrow road, the passenger started heaving out hindquarters of venison.
—Dave Duffey, Outdoor Life, 26 Mar. 2026
The feel of heaving the Mini’s wheel through tight corners, occasionally fighting kickback from the wide tires, gives way to a newfound finesse.
—Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 10 Mar. 2026
The Iranian announcer was heaving.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2026
Every gesture, breath, line delivery is heaving with the labor of just trying to get through one day to the next.
—Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025
Some plants with very shallow roots, such as heuchera, astilbe, gaillardia, and strawberry, can be damaged by heaving or uplift of soils caused by freeze-thaw cycles.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 11 Dec. 2025
Set in 1970 suburban Massachusetts, Reichardt's take on the heist genre saw O'Connor laboriously heaving art through a hay barn to comedic effect.
—Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 28 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heaving
Verb
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Exactly two weeks after hoisting the championship trophy under blue and gold confetti in Phoenix, the duo stepped back on the floor as professionals for the first time when WNBA training camp opened Sunday.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
20 Apr. 2026
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Nicole Fallert here, bringing you the news to know on Friday, from a progressive headed to Washington and why Pittsburghers are hoisting traffic cones.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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If your dog is vomiting continuously, take your pet to the vet as soon as possible, The Bee reported.—
Stephanie Zappelli,
Sacbee.com,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Well, not stopping at one drink, or 10, and then vomiting on Katy's foot was the answer.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Removing these bargain fares is also lifting the average ticket price.—
Chris Isidore,
CNN Money,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Robbie Ray combined with four relievers on a six-hitter, lifting the Giants to their first home win against the Marlins since August of 2024.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Carr is a natural athlete who moves like a great shortstop, and his ability to find cleaner throwing air out of the pocket — and his ability to make throws from multiple arm slots — is special.—
Nick Baumgardner,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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Shota Imanaga isn’t known for throwing his sweeper much.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Potential symptoms include rapid breathing, vomiting, panting and a high heart rate.—
Corey Schmidt,
Sacbee.com,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Eyes wide, panting near panic, Foster perfectly captures the audience's own fear of being alone in the dark with a monster.—
Darren Franich,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Six years later, in 2024, drone video capturing two teenagers hurling two trash cans filled with bottles and other waste over the side of their fishing boat in footage that went viral, leading to outrage both online and within the community.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
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Game 2 was a similar slog for the Mets’ offense, with flame-throwing Rockies starter Chase Dollander hurling seven shutout innings.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Walker was also experiencing a mental health issue and was shot after raising a knife.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Several early tests failed, raising questions about the program’s future.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Maton made a rehab appearance at Triple A on Friday night, tossing a scoreless inning while allowing two hits, no walks and striking out two on 25 pitches.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Apr. 2026
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For Young, that means tossing aside a blocker, a process Minter likened to a train wreck.—
Jeff Zrebiec,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Heaving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heaving. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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