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

Atkinson cleared his front leg again, attempting another heave to the leg side, but Siraj's yorker was pinpoint.

From BBC • Aug. 4, 2025

Joiner’s long inbounds heave to — fittingly — Ross across half-court ran out the last of the clock, with Ross raising both hands in victory to the air.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 14, 2023

She pounced on it, saw a flower she had trampled, and ran up the heave to it.

From "Julie of the Wolves" by Jean Craighead George

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