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Synonyms

heft

American  
[heft] / hɛft /

noun

  1. weight; heaviness.

    It was a rather flimsy chair, without much heft to it.

  2. significance or importance.

  3. Archaic. the bulk or main part.

verb (used with object)

  1. to test the weight of by lifting and balancing.

    He hefted the spear for a few moments, and then flung it at the foe.

  2. to heave; hoist.

heft British  
/ hɛft /

verb

  1. to assess the weight of (something) by lifting

  2. to lift

"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

noun

  1. weight

  2. the main part

"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

Other Word Forms

  • hefter noun
  • unhefted adjective

Etymology

Origin of heft

1550–60; heave + -t, variant of -th 1

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.