heave-ho

[ heev-hoh ]
See synonyms for: heave-hoheave-hoes on Thesaurus.com

nounInformal.
  1. an act of rejection, dismissal, or forcible ejection: The bartender gave the noisy drunk the old heave-ho.

Origin of heave-ho

1
Noun use of phrase heave ho,Middle English havehou, hevelow

Words Nearby heave-ho

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use heave-ho in a sentence

  • The men did “hold on” most powerfully; they did more, they hauled upon the rope, hand over hand, to a “Yo-heave-ho!”

  • Names like Rummiley come from the old cry of sailors, Rummylow, which they used as sailors use "heave-ho" now.

    Stories That Words Tell Us | Elizabeth O'Neill
  • Robert and the boatman swelled the chorus as desired, with rollicking "Heave ho's."

    The Incendiary | W. A. (William Augustine) Leahy
  • "Heave ho, my hearties," cried Jim as we pulled up our stone anchors.

  • The deep-toned chorus of the sailor, the creaking of the capstan, and the clanking of the iron cogs; the “heave-ho!”

    The Rifle Rangers | Captain Mayne Reid

British Dictionary definitions for heave-ho

heave-ho

sentence substitute
  1. a sailors' cry, as when hoisting anchor

noun
  1. informal dismissal, as from employment

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012