heaven

heav·en / ˈhevən/ • n. 1. 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. ∎  God (or the gods): Constantine was persuaded that disunity in the Church was displeasing to heaven. ∎ Theol. a state of being eternally in the presence of God after death. ∎ inf. a place, state, or experience of supreme bliss: lying by the pool with a good book is my idea of heaven. ∎  used in various exclamations as a substitute for “God”: Heaven knows! good heavens! 2. (often heavens) poetic/lit. the sky, esp. perceived as a vault in which the sun, moon, stars, and planets are situated. Galileo used a telescope to observe the heavens. PHRASES: the heavens open it suddenly starts to rain heavily. in seventh heaven in a state of ecstasy. move heaven and earth to do something make extraordinary efforts to do a specified thing: if he had truly loved her he would have moved heaven and earth to get her back. stink (or smell) to high heaven have a very strong and unpleasant odor.DERIVATIVES: heav·en·ward / -wərd/ adj. & adv. heav·en·wards / -wərdz/ adv.