heave (h v)v. heaved, heav·ing, heaves v.tr.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 (h v) 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). v.intr.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 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. n.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 1. 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. 2. To turn an engine-powered vessel in a similar situation so that its bow heads into the seas while proceeding at low speed. Idiom: heave into sight/view To rise or seem to rise over the horizon into view, as a ship.
[Middle English heven, from Old English hebban; see kap- in Indo-European roots.]
heav er n. |