heave to

British

verb

Also: lay to. (adverb) to stop (a vessel) or (of a vessel) to stop, as by trimming the sails, etc

"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

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.

Seattle trailed 12-7 when quarterback Russell Wilson unleashed a desperate heave to the end zone in the final seconds.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

No sooner did the defense get back onto the field than Daniels connected on a 50-yard heave to Luke McCaffrey, younger brother of San Francisco 49ers star Christian McCaffrey.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 5, 2025

Alice Capsey attempts a reverse sweep that only produces a single, before Maia Bouchier mis-times a heave to mid-wicket.

From BBC • May 16, 2024

Cook answered with a 47-yard touchdown heave to Burden, who spent most of the game making the Kansas State secondary look silly.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 16, 2023

“You heave to on a port tack—below the equator,” Nat told him.

From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023