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
Brett Samuels, The Hill, 22 Feb. 2025
The latest chapter provides more hurdles for both Trump’s top-down and bottom-up efforts to bring the federal bureaucracy to heel.
—Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 14 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
The president has brought corporate America to heel as major companies fall in line and roll back diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, fact-checking efforts and other policies that don’t align with Trump’s vision.
—Brett Samuels, The Hill, 22 Feb. 2025
The latest chapter provides more hurdles for both Trump’s top-down and bottom-up efforts to bring the federal bureaucracy to heel.
—Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 14 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
-
The findings could shine a light on the origin of the planet's strange magnetic field, and why it is tilted.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Mar. 2025
-
Neck Stretch: Slowly tilt your head toward one shoulder, holding for a few seconds, then switch to the other side.—
Judy Koutsky,
Forbes.com,
27 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
According to LifeLine, the DeKalb shelter takes in 135 dogs a week on average.—
Jim Gaines,
ajc,
13 Sep. 2023
-
Responding officers found the dog, and advised the owner to take the dog in.—
cleveland,
cleveland,
13 Sep. 2023
Verb
-
They’re designed with a push-button lid and angled spout that prevent spills.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2025
-
At 33-41, the Heat — winners of four straight — are angling to move up from the No. 10 seed in the East, with the play-in tournament approaching.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Caro Stowell of Thomasville was dressed up like a clown.—
Sarah D. Wire,
USA Today,
5 Apr. 2025
-
The final moments of the trailer revealed a terrifying figure hiding deep in the woods, one that looked overwhelmingly like a female clown.—
Matt Donnelly,
Variety,
2 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 16 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share