- Main Entry:
- 1heave

- Pronunciation:
-
\ˈhēv\
- Function:
- verb
- Inflected Form(s):
- heaved or hove
\ˈhōv\; heav·ing
- Etymology:
- Middle English heven, from Old English hebban; akin to Old High German hevan to lift, Latin capere to take
- Date:
- before 12th century
transitive verb1obsolete : elevate2: lift, raise <heaved the trunk onto the table>3: throw, cast <heaving rocks>4 a: to cause to swell or rise b: to displace (as a rock stratum) especially by a fault5: to utter with obvious effort or with a deep breath <heave a sigh of relief>6: haul, drawintransitive verb1: labor, struggle2: retch3 a: to rise and fall rhythmically b: pant4 a: pull, push <heaving on a rope> b: to move a ship in a specified direction or manner cpast usually hove : to move in an indicated way <the ship hove into view>5: to rise or become thrown or raised up
— heav·er noun
—
heave to : to halt the headway of a ship (as by positioning a sailboat with the jib aback and the rudder turned sharply to windward)