heft
Americannoun
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weight; heaviness.
It was a rather flimsy chair, without much heft to it.
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significance or importance.
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Archaic. the bulk or main part.
verb (used with object)
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to test the weight of by lifting and balancing.
He hefted the spear for a few moments, and then flung it at the foe.
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to heave; hoist.
verb
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to assess the weight of (something) by lifting
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to lift
noun
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weight
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the main part
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have heftedperfect
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has heftedperfect 3rd person singular
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have been heftingperfect progressive
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are heftingprogressive
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am heftingprogressive 1st person singular
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is heftingprogressive 3rd person singular
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heftssingular 3rd person
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has been heftingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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heftingparticiple
Past
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had heftedperfect
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was heftingprogressive singular
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had been heftingperfect progressive
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were heftingprogressive plural
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heftedsimple
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heftedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of heft
Explanation
Heft is the bulk or weight of a person or thing. You might shift the heft of that huge bag of dog food you just bought over to your left arm while you use your right hand to open the door. The heft of your big suitcase might make you question the wisdom of packing so many books. You can use heft as a verb, too — you could move the books into your backpack and then heft it back onto your shoulder. Heft comes from the verb heave, "lift with effort," modeled on verb/noun combinations like "thieve" and "theft" or "weave" and "weft."
Vocabulary lists containing heft
"The Odyssey," Vocabulary from Part 2 of the epic poem
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Prisoner B-3087
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Wolf Hollow
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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.
The themes that animated several of Ms. Straub’s previous novels—the inexorable march of time, complicated family dynamics, the power of reinvention—are what give “American Fantasy” its emotional heft.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026
During each new trip, I was newly struck by the way millions of Legos can grant a sense of physical heft to heavy ideas.
From Salon • Apr. 26, 2026
Originally pitched as a movie, the comeback is subdivided instead into 30-minute-long quarters, giving them a certain heft, whereas a “TV movie” might have felt like a throwaway, an afterthought.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026
Here, Washington is targeting China, which despite its economic heft is classified as a developing country at the WTO.
From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026
Only nearby Mount Washington exceeds it for both heft and popularity as a hiking destination in the White Mountains.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
