From Middle English heven, hebben, from Old English hebban, from Proto-West Germanic *habbjan, from Proto-Germanic *habjaną (“to take up, lift”), from Proto-Indo-European *kapyéti, from the root *kap-. See also have. Cognates Cognate with West Frisian heffe, Dutch heffen ("to raise", "to lift"), German heben ("to raise", "to lift"), Danish hæve ("to raise", "to lift"), Albanian kap (“to grasp, seize”), Old Irish cáin (“law, tribute”), cacht (“prisoner”), Latin capiō (“to take”), Latvian kàmpt (“to seize”), Ancient Greek κάπτω (káptō, “to gulp down”), κώπη (kṓpē, “handle”)). (To lift, to raise): Compare typologically Russian поднима́ть (podnimátʹ), подня́ть (podnjátʹ) (akin to има́ть (imátʹ), име́ть (imétʹ) < Proto-Slavic *jьmati, *jьměti).
To lift with difficulty; to raise with some effort; to lift (a heavy thing).
We heaved the chest-of-drawers up to the second-floor landing.
He hove himself out of the bed.
2
To throw, cast.
They hove rocks into the pond.
The cap'n hove the body overboard.
3
To rise and fall.
Her chest heaved with emotion.
Frequent for breath his panting bosom heaves.1718, Mat[thew] Prior, “Solomon on the Vanity of the World. A Poem in Three Books.”, in Poems on Several Occasions, London: […] Jacob Tonson […], and John Barber […], →OCLC, (please specify the page):
2 more examples
the heaving plain of ocean1816, Lord Byron, “Canto III”, in Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. Canto the Third, London: […] [F]or John Murray, […], →OCLC, stanza LXXII:
Presently the moon went down, and left us floating on the waters, now only heaving like some troubled woman's breast, with leisure to reflect upon all that we had gone through and all that we had escaped.1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:
4
To utter with effort.
She heaved a sigh and stared out of the window.
The wretched animal heaved forth such groans.c. 1598–1600 (date written), William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:
Archaic To lift (generally); to raise, or cause to move upwards (particularly in ships or vehicles) or forwards.
Here a little child I stand, / Heaving up my either hand; […]1647–1648, Robert Herrick, “[Noble Numbers.] Another Grace for a Child.”, in Alexander B[alloch] Grosart, editor, The Complete Poems of Robert Herrick. […] (Early English Poets), volume III, London: Chatto and Windus, […], published 1876, →OCLC, page 158:
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To be thrown up or raised; to rise upward, as a tower or mound.
The grovving Tovv'rs like Exhalations riſe, / And the huge Columns heave into the Skies.1715, [Alexander] Pope, The Temple of Fame: A Vision, London: […] Bernard Lintott […], →OCLC, page 13:
where heaves the turf in many a mouldering heap1750 June 12 (date written; published 1751), T[homas] Gray, “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard”, in Designs by Mr. R[ichard] Bentley, for Six Poems by Mr. T. Gray, London: […] R[obert] Dodsley, […], published 1753, →OCLC:
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17 June, 1857, Edward Everett, The Statue of Warren the heaving sods of Bunker Hill
Archaic To cause to swell or rise, especially in repeated exertions.
The wind heaved the waves.
10
Nautical, TransportAmbitransitive To move in a certain direction or into a certain position or situation.
to heave the ship ahead
Pausing there I waited until the foremost Sagoth hove into sight.1914 April 4–25, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “The Sly One”, in At the Earth’s Core, Chicago, Ill.: A[lexander] C[aldwell] McClurg & Co., published 1922, →OCLC, page 209:
11
To retch, to make an effort to vomit; to vomit.
The smell of the old cheese was enough to make you heave.
12
To make an effort to raise, throw, or move anything; to strain to do something difficult.
She [The Church of England] had ſtruggl'd and heav'd at a Reformation; ever ſince Wicliffs dayes, for about a 150 years together: […]1687, Francis Atterbury, An Answer to Some Considerations on the Spirit of Martin Luther and the Original of the Reformation; […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] [Sheldonian] Theater, →OCLC, page 64:
Ben mort (good vvench) ſhal you and I heaue a booth, mill a ken, or nip a bung? ſhall you and I rob a houſe, or cut a purſe?c. 1607–1610 (date written), Thomas Middleton; Thomas Dekker, The Roaring Girle. Or Moll Cut-purse. […], London: […] [Nicholas Okes] for Thomas Archer, […], published 1611, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i]:
From Middle English heven, hebben, from Old English hebban, from Proto-West Germanic *habbjan, from Proto-Germanic *habjaną (“to take up, lift”), from Proto-Indo-European *kapyéti, from the root *kap-. See also have. Cognates Cognate with West Frisian heffe, Dutch heffen ("to raise", "to lift"), German heben ("to raise", "to lift"), Danish hæve ("to raise", "to lift"), Albanian kap (“to grasp, seize”), Old Irish cáin (“law, tribute”), cacht (“prisoner”), Latin capiō (“to take”), Latvian kàmpt (“to seize”), Ancient Greek κάπτω (káptō, “to gulp down”), κώπη (kṓpē, “handle”)). (To lift, to raise): Compare typologically Russian поднима́ть (podnimátʹ), подня́ть (podnjátʹ) (akin to има́ть (imátʹ), име́ть (imétʹ) < Proto-Slavic *jьmati, *jьměti).
An effort to raise something, such as a weight or one's own body, or to move something heavy.
We gave one more heave and the wall toppled over at last.
July made no reply but that of a sigh. For she was thinking of the heave she must make to see herself lifted from the ground.2010, Andrea Levy, The Long Song, Tinder Press (2017), page 374:
2
An upward motion; a rising; a swell or distention, as of the breast in difficult breathing, of the waves, of the earth in an earthquake, etc.
and now the bed shook, the curtains rattled so, that I could scarce hear the sighs and murmurs, the heaves and pantings that accompanied the action, from the beginning to the end1749, [John Cleland], “(Please specify the letter or volume)”, in Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure [Fanny Hill], London: […] [Thomas Parker] for G. Fenton [i.e., Fenton and Ralph Griffiths] […], →OCLC:
The slab and piles will work together to resist 'ground heave' (the upward movement of the ground as it tries to push up into the box).2023 March 8, Chris Howe, “Building the platform for Old Oak Common's platforms”, in RAIL, number 978, page 60:
3
A horizontal dislocation in a metallic lode, taking place at an intersection with another lode.
4
Nautical, Transport The measure of extent to which a nautical vessel goes up and down in a short period of time.
The dust would have to be watched out for with a heave horse, and most alfalfa hay...1928, Farm Life - Volume 47, Issue 1, page 24:
The late stage is recognized by horse people as the true "heave" horse and at this stage most of the airways are partially or completely obstructed.1988, New York State Veterinary College, Annual Conference for Veterinarians: Abstracts of Papers, page 14:
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The bay horse was straining at the time the picture was taken, making its heave line more noticeable.2013, Lon D. Lewis, Feeding and Care of the Horse:
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Ball games, Cricket, Games, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports A forceful shot in which the ball follows a high trajectory
That left 15 needed from Boult's final set. Two dots were followed by a heave over deep mid-wicket, then came the outrageous moment of fortune.2019 July 14, Stephan Shemilt, “England win Cricket World Cup: Ben Stokes stars in dramatic finale against New Zealand”, in BBC Sport, London: