What does heave mean?
Heave is a versatile word chiefly meaning to lift or move something with effort, but it also describes a sudden upward movement and the powerful swelling or rolling of the sea. The word can evoke physical strain, as when someone heaves a heavy box, or broad natural force, as when waves heave a boat upward. In figurative expressions, heave a sigh suggests the release of tension, emotion, or weariness. Heave is also used in more specialized contexts: a person may heave from nausea, and sailors use heave to and heave the anchor for particular nautical actions. Although its literal movement sense can sound somewhat old-fashioned, heave remains vivid and expressive in both ordinary speech and formal description. Its unusual range—from deliberate human effort to the apparently effortless motion of the ocean—makes it especially useful for conveying force, exertion, and emotional release.
To lift, pull, or move something with considerable effort. It can also mean to rise or swell forcefully, make a retching sound, express a feeling with a sigh, or perform a nautical movement such as heaving the anchor or heaving a vessel to.
"The crew heaved the heavy rope across the deck."
The word often carries an impression of great effort or force. The nautical expressions are technical, while heave a sigh is an idiomatic figurative use.
An act of lifting or moving something with effort; a sudden upward or outward movement; a surge or swell, especially of the sea; or a retching movement.
"The ship seemed to recover with a powerful heave as the wave passed beneath it."
The noun is less frequent than the verb and is especially common in descriptions of movement, seas, and physical effort.
The plural is used for separate acts of lifting, forceful movements, or surges, although it is much less common than the verb.
"The boat rose through two sudden heaves of the sea."
Heave captures both the effort of lifting something heavy and the rolling motion of the sea—an entire physical action in one short word.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does heave come from?
Heave descends from Old English hefian, meaning “to lift” or “raise,” which continued into Middle English as heven and developed into the modern verb. It belongs to a Germanic family that includes German heben and Dutch heffen, both meaning “to lift” or “raise.” The shared root is generally traced to a Proto-Indo-European root associated with taking or grasping, and it is also related to English heavy.
Related word forms
How heave is actually used
Literal uses of heave often suggest effort, weight, or a forceful movement. The nautical senses are technical, while expressions such as heave a sigh are idiomatic and commonly carry an emotional suggestion of relief, frustration, or weariness. Descriptions of the sea heaving are common in literary and descriptive writing.
Easily confused with heave
Heave means to lift or move with effort, whereas have means to possess, hold, or experience something.