heel.
The rear part of the foot, where it joins the leg.
Meaning & usage
The rear part of the foot, where it joins the leg.
The part of a shoe's sole which supports the foot's heel.
The rear part of a sock or similar covering for the foot.
The part of the palm of a hand closest to the wrist.
He drove the heel of his hand into the man's nose.
A high-heeled shoe.
The back, upper part of the stock.
The thickening of the neck of a stringed instrument where it attaches to the body.
The last or lowest part of anything.
the heel of a mast
the heel of a vessel
A crust end-piece of a loaf of bread.
The base of a bun sliced in half lengthwise.
A contemptible, unscrupulous, inconsiderate, or thoughtless person.
A headlining wrestler regarded as a "bad guy," whose ring persona embodies villainous or reprehensible traits and demonstrates characteristics of a braggart and a bully.
The cards set aside for later use in a patience or solitaire game.
Anything resembling a human heel in shape; a protuberance; a knob.
The lower end of a timber in a frame, as a post or rafter.
The obtuse angle of the lower end of a rafter set sloping.
A cyma reversa.
The short side of an angled cut.
The part of a club head's face nearest the shaft.
The lower end of the bit (cutting edge) of an axehead, as opposed to the toe (upper end).
The part of a carding machine's flat nearest the cylinder.
The junction between the keel and the stempost of a vessel; an angular wooden join connecting the two.
Material stored in a smelting furnace between batches
Where this word comes from
From Middle English hele, from Old English hēla, from Proto-West Germanic *hą̄hilō, from Proto-Germanic *hanhilaz, diminutive of Proto-Germanic *hanhaz (“heel, hock”), equivalent to hock + -le. More at hock. Compare North Frisian haiel, West Frisian hyl, Dutch hiel, German Low German Hiel, Danish and Norwegian hæl, Swedish häl.
To follow at somebody's heels; to chase closely.
She called to her dog to heel.
To cause to follow at somebody’s heels (transitive).
To add a heel to, or increase the size of the heel of (a shoe or boot).
To kick with the heel.
To perform by the use of the heels, as in dancing, running, etc.
To arm with a gaff, as a cock for fighting.
To hit (the ball) with the heel of the club.
To make (a fair catch) standing with one foot forward, the heel on the ground and the toe up.
At Yale University, to work as a heeler or student journalist.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English hele, from Old English hēla, from Proto-West Germanic *hą̄hilō, from Proto-Germanic *hanhilaz, diminutive of Proto-Germanic *hanhaz (“heel, hock”), equivalent to hock + -le. More at hock. Compare North Frisian haiel, West Frisian hyl, Dutch hiel, German Low German Hiel, Danish and Norwegian hæl, Swedish häl.
To incline to one side; to tilt.
Where this word comes from
Probably inferred from hielded, the past tense of hield, from Middle English helden, heelden, from Old English hyldan, hieldan (“to incline”), cognate with Old Norse hella (“to pour out”) (whence Danish hælde (“lean, pour”)).
The act of inclining or canting from a vertical position; a cant.
Where this word comes from
Probably inferred from hielded, the past tense of hield, from Middle English helden, heelden, from Old English hyldan, hieldan (“to incline”), cognate with Old Norse hella (“to pour out”) (whence Danish hælde (“lean, pour”)).
Alternative form of hele (“cover; conceal”).
Where this word comes from
See hele (“conceal, keep secret, cover”).
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.