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
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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
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Recent Examples of heel
Caroline Hughes, Travel + Leisure, 19 May 2026
For Laurenzo, the film comes on the heels of Lez Bomb, exec produced by Bobby Farrelly, which earned the Jury Award for Best Film at Geena Davis’ Bentonville Film Festival.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 19 May 2026
The building was eerily quiet until Messi scored on a left-footed shot off a back-heel pass from Telasco Segovia to give Miami a 1-0 lead in the 31st minute.
—Miami Herald, 18 May 2026
This recommendation from the LAO comes on the heels of its suggestion in a February budget report that California pause its 2022-2027 plan to replace 902 nonresident students each year with resident students at UC Berkeley, UCLA and UC San Diego.
—Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 18 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for heel
Noun
With wedding season approaching, always make sure to have the Dream Pairs Foldable Ballet Flats packed in your purse to rescue your feet after hitting the dance floor in uncomfortable heels.
—Caroline Hughes, Travel + Leisure, 19 May 2026
For Laurenzo, the film comes on the heels of Lez Bomb, exec produced by Bobby Farrelly, which earned the Jury Award for Best Film at Geena Davis’ Bentonville Film Festival.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 19 May 2026
The building was eerily quiet until Messi scored on a left-footed shot off a back-heel pass from Telasco Segovia to give Miami a 1-0 lead in the 31st minute.
—Miami Herald, 18 May 2026
This recommendation from the LAO comes on the heels of its suggestion in a February budget report that California pause its 2022-2027 plan to replace 902 nonresident students each year with resident students at UC Berkeley, UCLA and UC San Diego.
—Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 18 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for heel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heel
Verb
-
Leaking faucets, pipes, and air conditioning units should be repaired, and the ground next to the foundation should be sloped so that surface water drains away from the building.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
The Spruce,
14 May 2026
-
The roof is sloped to encourage drainage that prevents water and debris from piling up, and is broken up into two levels to allow for an open ventilation panel to let hot air escape while keeping rainwater out.—
Maggie Horton,
PEOPLE,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
Search the internet and there are coaches and players spotted sniffing the ammonia inhalants before a game, with their instant reactions — a noticeable head jerk or contorted face — going viral.—
Jason Jones,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
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Hethington didn’t want to cannibalize his menu with the dish, instead compromising with a jerk lamb shank, and a whole Chinese Trini chicken, an homage to the popular takeout food in Trinidad.—
Jenn Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Romano’s sturdy book may not stint on examples of Mary’s bad behavior—including a ferociously jealous verbal assault, near the end of the war, on the wife of a prominent Union general—but the biographer keeps tilting against those who slighted Mary in even the most superficial ways.—
Thomas Mallon,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
The recommendation is a follow-through of the AI being tilted toward human well-being.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
Police also said a man walking his dog was shot in the back Sunday morning.—
Greg Wehner,
FOXNews.com,
18 May 2026
-
Any attempt by a participant, or any other person, to participate using more than one dog/pet, using any method, may result in disqualification by Sponsor, in its sole discretion.—
Tim McGovern,
PEOPLE,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
Keough’s $1,690 Alaïa pair kept the front almost bare, with a glossy black thong strap between the toes and a second patent strap angled across the foot.—
Maggie Clancy,
Footwear News,
16 May 2026
-
Jonathan, at least, has been playing, angling for his enemies, and making some great moves.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
In the end, Bill Skarsgård returned as the horrifying clown Pennywise, which was always the plan from the start.—
Emily Longeretta,
Variety,
11 May 2026
-
Even a rival gave kudos — kind of — to the clown.—
Anna Lazarus Caplan,
PEOPLE,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
Additional images showed an unknown number of snakes curled on top of one another inside a large crate that was placed in the back of an officer’s vehicle.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
16 May 2026
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The new series was filmed primarily outdoors in Texas, presenting challenges like extreme heat and venomous snakes.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
Noun
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Only about 30 percent of all nests evade their many predators, including skunks, opossums, raccoons, coyotes, snakes, and even domestic dogs and cats.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
29 Apr. 2026
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That means don’t send your dog out to charge a skunk, and don’t go outside banging on pots and pans or yelling, which is only going to make the skunk feel threatened.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Heel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heel. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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