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
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of heel
Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 14 July 2025
On the heels of Matthew Boyd’s eight shutout innings in Saturday’s win, Imanaga delivered another stellar performance from a Cubs starter by holding the New York Yankees to one run and two hits over seven innings in a 4-1 victory.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 13 July 2025
Jennifer Heimlich, SELF, 30 Apr. 2025
In the meantime, however, it must be brought to heel on its nuclear ambitions, missiles, and regional proxy militias.
—Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for heel
Noun
The partnership was unveiled on the heels of Grok last week launching into an antisemitic tirade after it was updated to reduce its reliance on mainstream media sources.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 14 July 2025
On the heels of Matthew Boyd’s eight shutout innings in Saturday’s win, Imanaga delivered another stellar performance from a Cubs starter by holding the New York Yankees to one run and two hits over seven innings in a 4-1 victory.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 13 July 2025
Verb
Runners who heel strike will appreciate how this offers a softer, more joint-friendly landing.
—Jennifer Heimlich, SELF, 30 Apr. 2025
In the meantime, however, it must be brought to heel on its nuclear ambitions, missiles, and regional proxy militias.
—Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for heel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heel
Verb
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The building, constructed largely of brass and glass, slopes downward from west to east.—
Miceala Morano,
Arkansas Online,
18 July 2025
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The keys are split and slope upward for maximum comfort.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
11 July 2025
Noun
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Words like bully, arrogant, tyrant, and jerk often top the list.—
Mary Crossan,
Forbes.com,
23 July 2025
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What once sat blank and unmoving begins to flow and creak and jerk beneath its own weight.—
Laura Poppick
July 22,
Literary Hub,
22 July 2025
Verb
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The windfall represents a dramatic departure from the collegiate body’s longstanding amateur model but could level a playing field that was tilted away from the Terps, according to coach Michael Locksley.—
Edward Lee,
Baltimore Sun,
31 July 2025
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Probably not, but these are already Democratic-leaning states that could tilt toward a big, blue blowout if the political environment for Trump and the Republicans doesn't improve quickly.—
David Faris,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 July 2025
Noun
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According to LifeLine, the DeKalb shelter takes in 135 dogs a week on average.—
Jim Gaines,
ajc,
13 Sep. 2023
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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
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Republicans are angling to chip away at the Voting Rights Act, as Democrats renew a long-shot push to broaden the landmark law that turns 60 next week.—
Kristina Karisch,
The Hill,
31 July 2025
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This week, Hamas and Israel have both been angling to put more pressure on each other, says NPR's Emily Feng.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
31 July 2025
Noun
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The early stages of a comedian’s career is about finding your clown — the core of what is funny about you — and then acclimating audiences to it.—
Jesse David Fox,
Vulture,
30 July 2025
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There will also be a nightly circus show featuring aerialists, acrobats, clowns, jugglers and motorcycle stunt riders.—
Abby Hamblin,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 July 2025
Noun
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How to identify venomous snakes in Texas Texas is home to four venomous snakes, three of which belong to the same family — the pit vipers.—
Brandi D. Addison,
Austin American Statesman,
31 July 2025
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As Nick says, snakes are not found in the city often.—
Tommy McArdle,
People.com,
30 July 2025
Noun
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The animals included 12 bats, nine racoons, eight skunks, two groundhogs, a bobcat, three cats and a fox, data shows.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
14 July 2025
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People and domestic animals should always avoid physical contact with wild animals such as raccoons, bats, foxes, skunks, otters, bobcats, coyotes, which carry a higher risk of human exposure and a need for rabies post-exposure treatment.—
Orlando Sentinel Staff,
The Orlando Sentinel,
12 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Heel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heel. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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