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heaving

English

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heaving¹

  • /ˈhiːvɪŋ/

Rhymes with -iːvɪŋ

Where it comes from

Inherited from Middle English hevynge. By surface analysis, heave + -ing. See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

verb

  1. gerund, participle, present present participle and gerund of heave

adjective more heaving · most heaving

  1. informal Crowded with people. Kinlochewe was heaving with cyclists and their vehicles on Saturday morning but somehow,^([sic]) the organisers had found space for everyone and the main roads were kept clear.
  2. Of the chest, rising and falling noticeably from exertion, emotion, or laboured breathing.
  3. literary Of the bosom, full, ample, or voluptuous in form, irrespective of movement. And here I might (if I followed the example of most travellers) launch out into a glowing description of the charms of these damsels, the elegant costumes they wore, and the gold and silver ornaments with which they were adorned. The jacket or body of purple gauze would figure well in such a descrip

heaving²

  • /ˈhiːvɪŋ/

Rhymes with -iːvɪŋ

Where it comes from

Inherited from Middle English hevynge.

noun heavings

  1. An occasion on which something heaves or is heaved. No swellings tell that winds may be Upon some far-off happier sea-- No heavings hint that winds have been On seas less hideously serene."

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MLA

"heaving." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/heaving. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

heaving. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/heaving

Chicago

"heaving." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/heaving.

BibTeX
@misc{heaving_2026,
  title = {heaving},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/heaving},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}