heave-ho
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of heave-ho
Noun use of phrase heave ho, Middle English havehou, hevelow
Explanation
When you give something the heave-ho, you get rid of it. If your mom has had enough of your dad's beloved cuckoo clock, she might decide to give it the heave-ho. Anything you dispose of gets the heave-ho, and the same goes for people who lose their jobs or get kicked out. "He's looking for a new place — I guess his roommates gave him the old heave-ho." This informal word has a nautical source; it's an old sailor's chant or cry that was used while a heavy anchor was being hauled up out of the water.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She also gave the heave-ho to Executive Editor Draggan Mihailovich External link.
From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026
The man for whom the heave-ho had been the way to go experienced an ejection himself.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 26, 2026
That was why the founders were very careful when they crafted the Constitution: The president is just one branch of government, is constrained by checks and balances, and can always be given the heave-ho.
From Slate ● Feb. 16, 2026
Cage doesn’t get a toe in the tide before he’s given the heave-ho by a pretentious group of quasi-spiritual surfers called the Bay Boys.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2025
He’d reach for me first, sit me up on one shoulder, then heave-ho Jude onto the other.
From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
