heaven

[hev-uh n]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR heaven ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the abode of God, the angels, and the spirits of the righteous after death; the place or state of existence of the blessed after the mortal life.

(initial capital letter) Often Heavens. the celestial powers; God.

a metonym for God: May heaven help us!

heavens, (used with a singular verb) a wooden roof or canopy over the outer stage of an Elizabethan theater.

Usually heavens. the sky, firmament, or expanse of space surrounding the earth.

a place or state of supreme happiness: She made his life a heaven on earth.

interjection

heavens, (used to express emphasis, surprise, etc.): For heaven's sake! Good heavens!

Idioms

move heaven and earth, to do one's utmost to effect an end; make a supreme effort: She promised to move heaven and earth to be there for our wedding anniversary.

Origin of heaven

before 900; Middle English heven, Old English heofon; cognate with Middle Low German heven; akin to Old Norse himinn, Gothic himins, German Himmel

Related formsheav·en·less, adjectiveun·der·heav·en, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for heaven

nirvana, immortality, paradise, kingdom, atmosphere, upstairs, rapture, ecstasy, Shangri-la, happiness, sky, bliss, harmony, firmament, enchantment, eternity, felicity, hereafter, glory, empyrean

Examples from the Web for heaven

Contemporary Examples of heaven

Hatuey asked the religious man holding the flame if indeed any Christians were in heaven.
The Life and Hard Times Of The Family A Cuban Defector Left Behind
Brin-Jonathan Butler
December 19, 2014
But assuming things were ever that hopeful, heaven was short-lived, and trouble followed.
The Sydney Astrologer Turned Islamic Radical
Jacob Siegel
December 16, 2014
After all, according to lyrics he once wrote, “all good cretins go to heaven.”
‘All Good Cretins Go to Heaven’: Dee Dee Ramone’s Twisted Punk Paintings
Melissa Leon
December 15, 2014
But does this means that animal ownership continues in heaven?
Sorry, Internet: Pope Francis Didn't Open Paradise to Pets
Candida Moss
December 14, 2014
Product placement aside, the idea that animals go to heaven raises a whole host of interesting questions for Thea and Noah.
Sorry, Internet: Pope Francis Didn't Open Paradise to Pets
Candida Moss
December 14, 2014

Historical Examples of heaven

The earth was like a slumbering babe, smiling in its sleep, because it dreams of Heaven.
Philothea
Lydia Maria Child
The face of the maid that served him had been no heaven for the souls of dead flowers.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
May Heaven bless you, and permit us to meet again in another world, if not in this!
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
But how wonderful and quick my touch has got, and how kind is heaven there, sir!
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. 327
Various
Must all novels end with an earthly marriage, and nothing be left for heaven?
Malbone
Thomas Wentworth Higginson

British Dictionary definitions for heaven

heaven

noun

(sometimes capital) Christianity

the abode of God and the angels
a place or state of communion with God after deathCompare hell

(usually plural) the sky, firmament or space surrounding the earth

(in any of various mythologies) a place, such as Elysium or Valhalla, to which those who have died in the gods' favour are brought to dwell in happiness

a place or state of joy and happiness

(singular or plural; sometimes capital) God or the gods, used in exclamatory phrases of surprise, exasperation, etcfor heaven's sake; heavens above

in seventh heaven ecstatically happy

move heaven and earth to do everything possible (to achieve something)

Word Origin for heaven

Old English heofon; related to Old Saxon heban

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

Word Origin and History for heaven

Old English heofon "home of God," earlier "sky, firmament," probably from Proto-Germanic *hibin-, dissimilated from *himin- (cf. Low German heben, Old Norse himinn, Gothic himins, Old Frisian himul, Dutch hemel, German Himmel "heaven, sky"), perhaps from PIE root *kem-/*kam- "to cover" (cf. chemise). [Watkins derives it elaborately from PIE *ak- "sharp" via *akman- "stone, sharp stone," then "stony vault of heaven"].

Plural use in sense of "sky" is probably from Ptolemaic theory of space composed of many spheres, but it also formerly was used in the same sense as the singular in Biblical language, as a translation of Hebrew plural shamayim. Heaven-sent (adj.) attested from 1640s.

heaven in Culture

heaven

The dwelling place of God, the angels, and the souls of those who have gained salvation (see also salvation); a place of the greatest peace and beauty. (Compare hell.)

Idioms and Phrases with heaven

heaven

In addition to the idioms beginning with heaven

heaven knows
heavenly days

also see:

for one's (heaven's) sake
god (heaven) forbid
god (heaven) knows
in seventh heaven
in the name of (heaven)
manna from heaven
move heaven and earth
pennies from heaven
seventh heaven
stink to high heaven
thank god (heaven)