variants
or down-at-heel
also down-at-the-heel
or down-at-heels
as in dilapidated
showing signs of advanced wear and tear and neglect
the stately mansion where he lives now is a far cry from the down-at-the-heels triple-decker in which he grew up
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of down-at-the-heels
By late 2015, the otherwise down-at-the-heels Quebec shipyard was awarded a contract for modification of the MV Asterix, an auxiliary replenishment vessel.
—
Craig Hooper, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
By late 2015, the otherwise down-at-the-heels Quebec shipyard was awarded a contract for modification of the MV Asterix, an auxiliary replenishment vessel.
—Craig Hooper, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
Everyone keeps to themselves at Briarwood House, a down-at-the-heels all-female boardinghouse in the heart of the nation’s capital, where secrets hide behind white picket fences.
—Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 21 June 2024
Born 200 years ago in Wales to intellectually curious but down-at-the-heels parents, Wallace was forced to leave school at age 14.
—Jennie Erin Smith, wsj.com, 14 Apr. 2023
Craig Hooper, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
By late 2015, the otherwise down-at-the-heels Quebec shipyard was awarded a contract for modification of the MV Asterix, an auxiliary replenishment vessel.
—Craig Hooper, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
Everyone keeps to themselves at Briarwood House, a down-at-the-heels all-female boardinghouse in the heart of the nation’s capital, where secrets hide behind white picket fences.
—Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 21 June 2024
Born 200 years ago in Wales to intellectually curious but down-at-the-heels parents, Wallace was forced to leave school at age 14.
—Jennie Erin Smith, wsj.com, 14 Apr. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for down-at-the-heels
Adjective
-
The South Lodge, at the base of the Quail chair, burned down in 2016 and in its place sits a row of dilapidated structures and storage sheds.—
Megan Michelson,
Outside Online,
4 Apr. 2025
-
When no firm alternatives emerged, and with the site growing mildewed and dilapidated, the original construction resumed.—
By Charlie Campbell/Gelephu, Bhutan,
TIME,
16 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Down-at-the-heels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/down-at-the-heels. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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