noun

heel

noun

The rounded back part of the foot, or the corresponding part of a shoe or sock.

"Her new boots rubbed a blister on her heel."

"The heel of this shoe is worn down unevenly."

A contemptible, dishonest, or unscrupulous person.

"He turned out to be a real heel, dumping her by text."

In professional wrestling, a performer playing the villain role.

"The crowd booed loudly as the heel entered the ring."

verb

For a boat or ship to tilt or lean over to one side.

"The sailboat heeled sharply in the strong wind."

For a dog to walk obediently close beside its owner.

"Good boy — heel!"

How to Use Heel

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishMost often the back of your foot or shoe; also slang for a villain, and a dog-training command.

Common mistake

Don't confuse "heel" with "heal" (to recover from injury) — they sound identical but mean completely different things.

Easily confused with

heal →

Common pairings

high heels dig your heels in heel of a loaf heel!

Word Forms

heeled past tense, heeled past tense, heels plural, heels plural, heels singular, heels singular

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

Her new boots rubbed a blister on her _____.

Etymology

From Old English hēla, related to "hock." The "bad guy in wrestling" and "contemptible person" senses are much more recent American slang, likely from the idea of someone who is "low," like the bottom part of the foot.

Synonyms

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boot butt crust ender knob-end outsider

Antonyms

toe babyface

Related Words

Fanny toe hit boot vomit impudence crust foreigner

Rhymes for heel

eel feel keel peel reel Neel kneel wheel steel creel genteel newsreel

See all rhymes for heel →

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boot butt crust ender knob-end outsider toe babyface Fanny hit vomit impudence