heed

1 of 2

verb

heeded; heeding; heeds

intransitive verb

: to pay attention

transitive verb

: to give consideration or attention to : mind
heed what he says
heed the call

heed

2 of 2

noun

: attention, notice
It's important that you pay heed to/take heed of the warnings.

Examples of heed in a Sentence

Verb It may be possible to desensitize a cat to being petted for extended periods.  … A safer solution is to consistently limit petting time, and to heed the cat's cues that she's had enough. Cat Watch, August 2008
In-line skating is not for everyone, and even those for whom it is ideally suited can skate into trouble, especially if they fail to heed safety precautions. Jane E. Brody, New York Times, 2 May 1991
However, he should heed an axiom from the pretelevision age: physician, heal thyself. George F. Will, Newsweek, 17 Mar. 1986
She failed to heed the warnings. if we had heeded the ranger's advice, we might not have gotten lost Noun Neither the British ministry nor the British Parliament welcomed American voices in determining policy in 1763, or ever. The British government paid little heed to the public press on either side of the water. Edmund S. Morgan, New York Review of Books, 16 Nov. 2006
She retrained as a doctor and it was through her pioneering research with cancer patients in the early 1960s (she showed how narcotics could be used without adverse effect) that the medical profession began to take heed. Kate Kellaway, Prospect, January 2003
Imagine swimming along with playful seals and then diving down to see such rarities as batfish.  … Fleets of hammerhead sharks pay divers no heed, nor do the penguins move out of the way. Town & Country, January 1983
took heed of the student's learning disability so as to arrive at reasonable expectations for him pay heed to what you're doing with that knife while you're talking
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Verb
If Johnston heeds that warning, the mayor will likely have to find a proposal that balances workers’ need for a living wage with the desire to attract businesses to the city core in order to find enough council support to pass the legislation. Elliott Wenzler, Denver Post, 8 Nov. 2025 The reputation distracted, perhaps shrewdly, from Cheney’s failure, as the official Bush had placed in charge of terrorism, to heed warnings about 9/11. Karl Vick, Time, 4 Nov. 2025
Noun
Skin care giants such as Beiersdorf and Shiseido might take heed. Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 4 Nov. 2025 Take heed: This drink benefits from a slight bit more dilution than a standard Manhattan. Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 25 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for heed

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English, from Old English hēdan; akin to Old High German huota guard, Old English hōd hood

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of heed was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Heed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heed. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.

Kids Definition

heed

1 of 2 verb
1
: to pay attention
2
: to take notice of : mind
heed my words

heed

2 of 2 noun

More from Merriam-Webster on heed

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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