heels 1 of 2

plural of heel

heels

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of heel
as in slopes
to set or cause to be at an angle the strong gust heeled the sailboat almost to the point of capsizing, but we managed to right it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of heels
Noun
The decision comes on the heels of a refusal Monday by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to intervene in the case in advance of his decision. — Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 29 Oct. 2026 Press through the balls of your feet and big toes to lift your heels. — Jakob Roze, HEALTH, 28 Oct. 2026 Kardashian’s shoe was a bulkier and heavier option, but at 5 feet, 2 inches, the reality star often relies on platform heels to go with her longer red carpet looks. — Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 28 Oct. 2026 The revival, however, is a new proposition for a generation with no muscle memory for heels. — Laura Neilson, Vogue, 28 Oct. 2026 Diana Loya emerged from it, wearing heels and holding a stack of campaign literature. — Jesús Rodríguez, New Yorker, 27 Oct. 2026 The finding also comes on the heels of a record-breaking cyclospora outbreak this summer that sickened 12,883 people across 21 states, hospitalized at least 570 and was associated with two deaths in Michigan. — Megan R. Wilson, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2026 Databricks followed hot on its heels as per this week’s big story below. — Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026 Off the heels of an impressive first-round playoff victory over the Houston Rockets, expectations for the Lakers remain firmly in the playoff picture. — Austin Turner, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
Verb
Benton accessorized her look with jewelry pieces by Oscar Heyman and Paul Andrew heels. — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 27 Oct. 2026 These sultry heels have a subtle pink hue like the Elisabet Tang heels, as well as eye-catching hold hardware on the back. — Jordan Julian, InStyle, 4 Feb. 2026 The action then moves to a studio where Law Roach is styling Adrina Lima who is wearing an archival Maison Margiela top with a Miss Claire Sullivan skirt and Helmut Lang heels. — Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 23 Dec. 2025 Amanu, the youngest, is the most experimental, wearing business casual ties and button downs one day and trying on a sequined dress and heels the next. — Essence, 9 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heels
Noun
  • Staff often greet regulars – and their dogs – by name with a warm question about their day.
    — Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Cadaver dogs also alerted to the scent of a corpse in the vehicle.
    — Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The rest of the Cambria isn’t bad, either, including the shops and galleries along Main Street (which is deceptively long) and the piney slopes above.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • In rivers and streams in Virginia and Maryland, Hack measured the length of each stream and the area of the land that slopes toward that stream and therefore drains into it, called its basin or drainage area.
    — Natalie Wolchover, Quanta Magazine, 10 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • This book includes nothing from Elain’s perspective; hopefully, the next book will prioritize her and possibly offer some magical explanation for why the rest of the Night Court has been such jerks to one another in this novel.
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Lee and his Burning co-writer Oh Jung-mi resist what might have been the first instinct of many filmmakers by refusing to make Ye-ji and Sang-woo overly patronizing rich jerks.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The numbers also show how often the process tilts toward the party bringing the dispute.
    — Christine Cooper, Forbes.com, 20 Oct. 2026
  • El Niño is not a storm that hits at a particular location, but rather a long duration phenomenon that tilts the odds in favor of extreme weather and climate events for certain areas.
    — Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Many Orlando-area homes feature skeletons that tower over the neighborhood, witchy covens, horror movie icons, clowns, pirate ships, pumpkins, zombies and vampires.
    — Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Friday, Edith, and the maintenance bots are sometimes goofy comic-relief clowns.
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • At speeds above 93 mph (150 km/h), a roof spoiler automatically deploys and shifts angles to increase downforce and high-speed stability.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Adapting to the 20,000-seat Garden, Styles’s stage is a more streamlined semi-circle that still angles for maximum access, plus a little pop.
    — Michelle Ruiz, Vogue, 28 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • But there is also no mistaking the distinct black-and-white fur and bushy tails of skunks.
    — Louise Parks, Martha Stewart, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Officials say the last animal confirmed to have rabies that wasn’t a bat was a skunk infected with the bat strain of rabies in Long Beach in 2014.
    — Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • In most versions of the Greek mythology, Medusa is a beautiful woman that was cursed by the goddess Athena with a head of snakes instead of hair and the horrible ability to turn people to stone with just one look.
    — Lynsey Eidell, Glamour, 26 Oct. 2026
  • In one experiment, for example, college students were shown trypophobic images, typical fear-inducing pictures—such as those of snakes and spiders—and control images.
    — Gabriela Galvin, Scientific American, 26 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Heels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heels. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

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