heav ‧ en S3 W3 /ˈhev ə n/ BrE AmE noun
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: heofon ]
1 . PLACE OF GOD ( also Heaven ) [singular] the place where God is believed to live and where good people are believed to go when they die ⇨ paradise
in heaven
He believed that he and his wife would one day be together again in heaven.
2 . ENJOYABLE SITUATION [uncountable] informal an extremely enjoyable situation or place SYN paradise :
Sitting by the pool with a good book is my idea of heaven.
in heaven
Put a baseball in his hand and he’s in heaven.
Living on the farm for Jim was heaven on earth.
a match/marriage made in heaven (=a happy and successful marriage)
• • •
SPOKEN PHRASES
3 . for heaven’s sake
a) used to show that you are annoyed or angry:
Oh, for heaven’s sake, Mark, do you have to make everything into a joke?
b) used to emphasize a question, request, order, or opinion:
For heaven’s sake, let’s all get to sleep.
4 . heaven (only) knows
a) used to emphasize that you do not know something:
He won’t tell me what he thinks. Heaven knows why.
b) used to emphasize what you are saying:
Sue can’t take a holiday yet, though heaven knows she needs a rest.
5 . heaven help somebody
a) used to express sympathy for someone who is in a dangerous or difficult situation:
‘The two boys are going to the dentist on Thursday.’ ‘Heaven help the dentist.’
b) used to say that you will be very angry with someone if they do something:
Heaven help him if he ever comes back here again!
6 . heaven forbid used to say that you very much hope something will not happen:
What would you do financially if, heaven forbid, your husband died?
7 . what/how/why etc in heaven’s name used when asking a surprised and angry question:
Where in heaven’s name have you been?
8 . the heavens literary the sky:
He looked up towards the heavens.
Just then, the heavens opened (=it started to rain heavily) .
9 . move heaven and earth to try very hard to achieve something:
I would move heaven and earth to help her.
⇨ be in seventh heaven at ↑ seventh 1 (2), ⇨ thank heaven(s) at ↑ thank (2)