heaving

American  

[hee-ving] / ˈhi vɪŋ /

adjective

1. rising and falling rhythmically or with a swelling motion, as ocean waves or the chest of someone breathing.

   He ran down the slippery gangway to the heaving deck of the steamer.

2. characterized by surging or pulsing movement, as of a mass of people or vehicles.

   When the opening chords of the song rang out, there was a stampede into the heaving mosh pit.

   She discovered that even in a heaving metropolis it is possible to live in symbiosis with nature.

3. (of breathing, a sigh, etc.) performed with effort.

   He felt dizzy from the quick, heaving breaths he was drawing.

   She let out a heaving sigh and let the wrench clang to the floor.

4. rising as if thrust up by some force; swelling or bulging.

   Emergency repairs are required on I-95 due to heaving asphalt caused by years of freezing and thawing.

5. vomiting or throwing up.

   Whenever someone mentions motion sickness, I remember that three-hour car trip to Grandma's with a heaving child in the backseat.

---

noun

1. the act of rising as if thrust up by some force, or of rising and falling with a rhythmic swelling motion.

   The only motion was the heaving of their chests as they stood still for a minute, catching their breath.

   The heaving of sidewalks by tree roots often results when the planting strip is too narrow to accommodate the trees.

2. the act of performing a sigh, breath, etc., with effort.

   It’s easy to be sympathetic when it costs no more than the shedding of a few tears, the heaving of a sigh, or the uttering of a soft word.

3. the act of lifting or throwing something with effort or force.

   The heaving of garbage at a criminal in the stocks was common—and sometimes fatal.

   His leadership was marked by a constant heaving of himself into the foremost position in every situation.

4. the act of vomiting or throwing up.

   My numerous trips to the open bar were followed by some unfortunate heaving into a bucket.

Etymology

Origin of heaving

First recorded in 1575–85; heave ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; heave ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun senses

Example Sentences

It's Saturday afternoon and the tournament resembles a beach bash in full swing, costumed bodies heaving under the blazing sun.

From BBC • Feb. 20, 2026

And it wasn’t lost on Rove that the spindly, excitable man narrating that story for them in a thick Hungarian accent “was once a 16-year-old picking up paving blocks and heaving them at Soviet tanks.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026

By midday, the entire stretch was heaving with thousands of people and the sea was full of swimmers and surfers.

From BBC • Dec. 15, 2025

Or what it feels like to ride the slow heaving of the ocean, pulsing like the heartbeat of the world.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 7, 2025

He thought of Pond, fully healed, no longer dry heaving or coughing.

From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young

Related Words

• casting