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

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
Caught up in the sentimentality of his own fame, the Weeknd just can’t heed his own curtain call. Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 16 May 2025 Seriously, perhaps a future legislature will heed the example of Calgary, Alberta, which after a disastrous rise in cavities following elimination of water fluoridation, reversed course about a decade later. Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 15 May 2025
Noun
As a complete guide to the franchise, this article also touches on major deaths and other pivotal moments, so please take heed before reading. Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 10 May 2025 As in the two major Southern California fires, the inferno that ravaged Sonoma County paid no heed to wealth, flattening estates in the hills, modest bungalows in the flatlands and a mobile home park called Journey’s End. Heather Knight, New York Times, 19 Jan. 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 24 May. 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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