as in bastard
a person whose behavior is offensive to others
felt like a heel when she found out that she'd blamed the wrong person
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to slope
to set or cause to be at an angle
the strong gust heeled the sailboat almost to the point of capsizing, but we managed to right it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of heel
Michelle Lee, People.com, 7 Apr. 2025
The firms' legal actions come on the heels of successful effort by the law firm Perkins Coie, which earlier this month secured a court order blocking similar executive action signed by Trump.
—Alexander Mallin, ABC News, 29 Mar. 2025
Chicago Tribune, 21 Mar. 2025
But efforts to bring news outlets to heel have never been attempted by an FCC chair before.
—Steven Zeitchik, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heel
Noun
Saldaña, who was outfitted by her longtime collaborator Petra Flannery, wore the figure-hugging dress with black ankle-strap heels.
—Michelle Lee, People.com, 7 Apr. 2025
The firms' legal actions come on the heels of successful effort by the law firm Perkins Coie, which earlier this month secured a court order blocking similar executive action signed by Trump.
—Alexander Mallin, ABC News, 29 Mar. 2025
Verb
Instead, this threat to universities is part of a larger effort to bring universities to heel.
—Chicago Tribune, 21 Mar. 2025
But efforts to bring news outlets to heel have never been attempted by an FCC chair before.
—Steven Zeitchik, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for heel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heel
Verb
-
From $50,000 per night Photo : Courtesy of Marina Bay Sands Marina Bay Sands, Singapore Images of Marina Bay Sands’s sloping towers are splashed across every Singapore advert around the globe.—
Katie Lockhart,
Robb Report,
27 Mar. 2025
-
In Slovakia, the channel slopes downward towards the mansion.—
Sonja Anderson,
Smithsonian Magazine,
21 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
But this Ron Howard was an alternate universe version of Ron Howard, who instead of being notoriously nice, is sort of a jerk.—
Esther Zuckerman,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Apr. 2025
-
Someone actually just said to me that all the men in the book are jerks.—
Gal Beckerman,
The Atlantic,
7 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Instead, Laurie tilts even further into vulnerability.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
7 Apr. 2025
-
Alas, Android got there first; AI is now tilted towards Google's approach.—
Ewan Spence,
Forbes.com,
5 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Responding officers found the dog, and advised the owner to take the dog in.—
cleveland,
cleveland,
13 Sep. 2023
-
Police brought in hundreds of law enforcement personnel with dogs, armored carriers, horses and helicopters that circled overhead.—
Maryclaire Dale, Marc Levy and Michael Rubinkam,
Anchorage Daily News,
13 Sep. 2023
Verb
-
Brit, still processing, clocks that Kenya was angling for a full-on meltdown, trying to provoke her into playing the aggressor.—
Shelby Stewart,
Essence,
14 Apr. 2025
-
Floating vanity mirrors are angled to reflect the hillside beyond.—
Spencer Elliott,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
In real time, the audience, the queens watching, and perhaps Suzie herself all learn that Suzie has a knack for sexiness onstage, even though she’s dressed as a clown.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
12 Apr. 2025
-
Among the mass-shooting victims is a bloodied clown who was performing at the festival.—
James Poniewozik,
New York Times,
11 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
But venoms—like the kind from the insanely venomous inland taipan snake (which is, of course, Australian)—now, that’s a different story.—
Popular Science Team,
Popular Science,
9 Apr. 2025
-
From the clip, the Descendants star has a snake, a few dainty motifs on her fingers, what appears to be a Gemini zodiac sign on her upper thigh and tons of phrases covering her body.—
Michelle Lee,
People.com,
8 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Weasels, skunks, possum, snakes (to eat eggs), and all sorts of other common creatures will become regular visitors to your yard, mostly at night.—
Sal Gilbertie,
Forbes,
24 Mar. 2025
-
It has been detected in 40 wild mammal species in 36 states, killing bears, harbor seals, foxes, squirrels and skunks, among other creatures.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA TODAY,
28 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Heel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heel. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share