heaven

/ˈhevn/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈhevn/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈhe-vən/ (ame, mw)

heaven — noun

1. In certain religions, heaven is the perfect place where God stays and where kind

1.名詞B1
釋義

In certain religions, heaven is the perfect place where God stays and where kind people go when their life ends. There they are said to live in complete joy forever.

例句

Kemi believes her grandmother is in heaven watching over the family.

in heaven (location after death)

The priest spoke about entering heaven through faith and good deeds.

enter heaven (verb + object)

同義詞
  • paradise

    more general term for any perfect place, not exclusively religious; can also refer to the Garden of Eden

  • the afterlife

    broader term for any existence after death, not necessarily a pleasant one

  • the beyond

    more poetic or philosophical; less specific about location or happiness

反義詞
  • hell

    the place of punishment after death in many religions

文法句型

go to heaven

in heaven

用法筆記

Usually uncountable without 'the.' The opposite of 'heaven' in this sense is 'hell.' In religious contexts, 'heaven' is often capitalised: 'May she rest in Heaven.'

常見錯誤

❌He believes good people go to the heaven after death.
✅He believes good people go to heaven after death.
💡In the religious sense, 'heaven' is typically uncountable and does not take the definite article.

2. The feeling of total joy you get from an activity or place so pleasant that it s

2.名詞B1
釋義

The feeling of total joy you get from an activity or place so pleasant that it seems perfect.

例句

After hiking all day, slipping into a hot bath was pure heaven for Esteban.

pure heaven (adjective + noun)

An afternoon with books and no phone calls is absolute heaven for Inês.

absolute heaven (intensifier + noun)

同義詞
  • bliss

    more formal or literary; describes a state rather than a situation

  • paradise

    stronger focus on a place or scene being idyllic

  • utopia

    an imagined perfect society, not a personal feeling

反義詞
  • hell

    used informally for a very unpleasant experience: 'The traffic was hell.'

  • nightmare

    common for a frightening or extremely difficult experience

文法句型

[something] is heaven

like heaven

pure / absolute / total heaven

用法筆記

Common in spoken English and informal writing. Often used as a simple exclamation ('Heaven!') or in comparisons ('This tastes like heaven'). Do not add 'the' before 'heaven' in this sense.

常見錯誤

❌The hot chocolate was the heaven.
✅The hot chocolate was heaven.
💡Drop 'the' when 'heaven' describes a wonderful experience.

3. The upper sky, seen as a vast dome above the earth — used in formal, poetic, or

3.名詞C1
釋義

The upper sky, seen as a vast dome above the earth — used in formal, poetic, or old-fashioned contexts.

例句

As night fell, the heavens filled with thousands of tiny stars.

the heavens + verb (filled with)

Christopher gazed up at the heavens, searching for the North Star.

同義詞
  • the sky

    neutral and everyday term; the heavens is more formal or poetic

  • the firmament

    very formal or biblical; rarely used outside religious or literary contexts

  • the skies

    slightly more poetic than 'the sky' but still in ordinary weather reports

文法句型

the heavens

the heavens + verb (open / clear / darken)

用法筆記

Nearly always used in the plural form 'the heavens.' This sense is found mainly in poetry, older fiction, and weather-related expressions such as 'the heavens opened.' Avoid using this sense in everyday spoken English.

常見錯誤

❌I looked at the heaven to check if it would rain.
✅I looked at the sky to check if it would rain.
💡In ordinary conversation, use 'sky' instead of 'heaven' for the literal sky.