heal

verb

ˈhēl 

healed; healing; heals

transitive verb

1

a

: to make free from injury or disease : to make sound or whole

heal a wound

b

: to make well again : to restore to health

heal the sick

2

a

: to cause (an undesirable condition) to be overcome : mend

The troubles … had not been forgotten, but they had been healed.

—William Power

b

: to patch up or correct (a breach or division)

heal a breach between friends

3

: to restore to original purity or integrity

healed of sin

intransitive verb

: to become free from injury or disease : to return to a sound state

The cut has already healed.

Synonyms of heal

• rehabilitate
• cure
• fix
• treat

Examples of heal in a Sentence

You've got to give the injury time to heal.

After the divorce, he needed some time to heal.

The ointment will help heal the wound.

Recent Examples on the Web

Natalie Wood is taken to the Fillmore Animal Hospital for amputation surgery due to her extensively fractured back leg, which would have cost at least $8,000 to try to heal. — Adam Tschorn, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026

Moving beyond a stigma around discussing marital breakdowns, the content provides a space for the creators to heal, and for their followers to relate and reflect on their own experiences and emotions. — ABC News, 8 Sep. 2026

People in the Andes have used huachuma to heal physical illnesses and treat mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety for a long time. — Pardis Mahdavi, The Conversation, 8 Sep. 2026

Schlossberg, who got about 10 percent of the vote, fled to his mother Caroline Kennedy’s house on Martha’s Vineyard for the summer to heal his wounds. — Richard Johnson, New York Daily News, 6 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English helen, from Old English hǣlan; akin to Old High German heilen to heal, Old English hāl whole — more at whole

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing heal

• heal the rift/breach
• self-heal

Rhymes for heal

• beal
• chiel
• ciel
• creel
• deal
• diel
• eel
• feel
• feil
• heel
• keel
• kneel

Kids Definition

heal

verb

ˈhē(ə)l 

: to make or become healthy or whole

heal the sick

a cut that heals slowly

Medical Definition

heal

transitive verb

ˈhē(ə)l 

1

: to make sound or whole especially in bodily condition

2

: to cure of disease or disorder

heal injured tissues

intransitive verb

1

: to return to a sound state

the wound heals

2

: to effect a cure

healer

ˈhē-lər 

noun