heaven
/ˈhɛv(ə)n
/noun
1 (often Heaven) A place regarded in various religions as the abode of God (or the gods) and the angels, and of the good after death, often traditionally depicted as being above the sky: those who practised good deeds would receive the reward of a place in heaven Juno, Queen of Heaven and wife of Jupiter...
- In Heaven he was introduced to Indra, who enrolled him in his heavenly workshops.
- At his death, he was unable to again access to Heaven because of his meanness.
- From his position in Heaven above and beyond the universe, God sits not only as creator but also as judge.
Synonyms
paradise, nirvana, the kingdom of heaven, the promised land, the heavenly kingdom, the City of God, the celestial city, the abode of God, the abode of the saints, the abode of the angels, Zion, Abraham's bosom, the empyrean;
the beyond, the hereafter, the next world, the next life, the afterworld, the afterlife;
among American Indians happy hunting ground;
Christianity the New Jerusalem;
Hinduism Swarga;
Classical Mythology Elysium, the Elysian Fields, the Islands of the Blessed;
Scandinavian Mythology Valhalla;
Arthurian Legend Avalon
1.1God (or the gods): Constantine was persuaded that disunity in the Church was displeasing to heaven...
- But heaven help anyone who writes this line-up off this time next year.
- But heaven surely knows, that packages and bows can never heal a hurting human soul.
- And heaven help the sanity of the people who listen to it longer than it takes to switch it off.
1.2 Theology A state of being eternally in the presence of God after death: the everlasting happiness with God that we call heaven...
- I just thought it was a lovely way to describe death and heaven.
- You may want to talk about any beliefs you have, about what happens after death, such as heaven, or the spiritual part of a person.
- Do you want reliable answers concerning issues like life, forgiveness, death, heaven or hell?
1.3Used in various exclamations as a substitute for ‘God’: heaven knows! good heavens!...
- Oh Heavens no, I'm just fine.
- Oh heavens above how dare they create a parallel in a satire between real life and their fictional world!
2 (also the heavens) literary The sky, especially perceived as a vault in which the sun, moon, stars, and planets are situated: Galileo used a telescope to observe the heavens...
- They had seen his star in the heavens and followed it to Jerusalem and then onto Bethlehem.
- He could never know what she had wished for as the stars fell from the heavens to earth.
- All of the thirteen kingdoms had been graced with a stone, and a crystal and a star in the heavens.
Synonyms
the sky, the skies, the upper atmosphere, the stratosphere
literary the firmament, the vault of heaven, the blue, the (wide) blue yonder, the welkin, the ether, the empyrean, the azure, the upper regions, the sphere, the celestial sphere
3 informal A place, state, or experience of supreme bliss: lying by the pool with a good book is my idea of heaven...
- The corollary of this is that meditation provides an experience of heaven.
- No one comes back - face up to what's gong on around you because this is the only heaven or hell you're going to experience.
- The city was a very heaven for such Beatles and Stones fans, and the experience put a spell on their music that is still audible.
Synonyms
ecstasy, bliss, rapture, contentment, happiness, delight, joy, felicity, supreme happiness, supreme joy, perfect contentment, seventh heaven, cloud nine;
paradise, Eden, Utopia, nirvana, Shangri-La, idyll
literary Arcadia, Arcady
Phrases
the heavens open
in seventh heaven
a match (or marriage) made in heaven
move heaven and earth to do something
stink (or smell) to high heaven
Derivatives
heavenward
/ adjective & adverb ...- He took the precious book out of the cow's mouth, raised his eyes heavenward and exclaimed: ‘It's a miracle!’
- When all is ready, assemble your guests on the porch or in the garden where the aroma of the juleps will rise heavenward and make the birds sing.
- Fine, delicate black lines delineate androgynous figures, heads turned heavenward, mouths open.
heavenwards
/ adverb ...- There's a ghostly atmosphere to the coast, stirred by the mist and dearly departed - either heavenwards or on the Road Services bus to Christchurch.
- This album may not turn the atheist's gaze heavenwards, but it's music wonderful enough to make anyone believe in the community of the human voice.
- Then, they saw a thick cloud of smoke whirl heavenwards.
Origin
Old English heofon, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch hemel and German Himmel.
The ultimate origin of heaven is unknown, although parallel forms exist in related languages. Heaven has always referred both to the sky and to the abode of God, regarded as beyond the sky. In Christian theology there is only one heaven, but some Jewish and Muslim people considered there to be seven, of which the seventh was the highest. There souls enjoyed a state of eternal bliss, and so in seventh heaven came to mean ‘very happy, ecstatic’. See also move, paradise