Meaning & use
heaves
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“heaves” is a form of “heave”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive
Lifts, pulls or throws something heavy with a great deal of effort.
Grammar: Takes an object: she heaves the bag onto the shelf.
Patterns
- heave something onto something
- heave something up
He heaves the sack of flour onto the counter every morning.
She heaves the boat toward the water with a grunt.
The porter heaves each suitcase into the van.
verbintransitive
Rises and falls strongly and repeatedly, as a chest does when breathing hard or the sea does in a storm.
Grammar: No object: the sea heaves; his shoulders heave.
Patterns
- heave with something
Her chest heaves after the long climb.
The ocean heaves beneath the little ship.
His shoulders heave whenever he laughs.
verbtransitive
Lets out a deep sigh or sound with effort.
Grammar: Often with sigh as the object: he heaves a sigh.
Patterns
- heave a sigh
She heaves a sigh and closes her laptop.
My dad heaves a groan when he sits down.
He heaves a sigh of relief at the end.
nounpluraltechnical
A disease of horses that makes breathing difficult; used with the.
Grammar: Used with the, like the measles: the heaves.
Patterns
- have the heaves
The old horse suffers from the heaves in summer.
A vet said the heaves came from dusty hay.
Mold in the stable can bring on the heaves.
Word forms
| base form | heave |
|---|---|
| past tense | heaved |
| -ing form | heaving |
Common combinations
- heaves a sigh
- She heaves a sigh and starts again.
- heaves with sobs
- His chest heaves with sobs.
- heaves onto
- He heaves the box onto the truck.
- heaves up
- The crane heaves up the heavy beam.
- heaves into view
- A huge ship heaves into view.
Synonyms and how they differ
- hauls
- Hauls stresses pulling or dragging, whereas heaves suggests a lifting or throwing effort.
- lifts
- Lifts is plain and neutral, while heaves implies strain.
- pants
- Pants describes quick breathing, but heaves describes the whole chest rising.
- sighs
- Sighs means breathing out audibly, and heaves a sigh makes it sound deeper.
Word family
Commonly confused: heaves or heavy?
heaves vs heavy
Heavy is an adjective meaning of great weight; heaves is a verb about effort.
Practice
After the sprint, her chest ___ and she sat down.
Choose one answer.
Her chest heaves means it rises and falls strongly with hard breathing. The other verbs are real words but cannot fit this meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “heaves”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.