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
Lie on your back with heels together and tap toes in a gentle rhythmic motion to stimulate the kidney meridian and awaken energy in the lower body. — Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Nov. 2026 The footwear brand has partnered with Italian indie label The Archivia on a black-and-white capsule collection centered on its signature Blade heels. — Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 4 Nov. 2026 Heel raises Stand with your feet flat on the floor, then raise up onto your toes, lifting your heels off the ground. — Hannah Coates, Vogue, 3 Nov. 2026 The 51-year-old actress accessorized the simple look with black pointed-toe heels. — Juliana Ukiomogbe, InStyle, 3 Nov. 2026 Think loafers with collapsible heels for easy slip-on wear, plus brown suede sneakers in the season’s most trending style. — Vivien Lee, PEOPLE, 2 Nov. 2026 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 Diana Loya emerged from it, wearing heels and holding a stack of campaign literature. — Jesús Rodríguez, New Yorker, 27 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
  • Black-haired dogs seem to have the toughest time getting adopted, even though many of them are happy, friendly, playful dogs.
    — Maryanne Dell, Oc Register, 7 Nov. 2026
  • The law capped the number of breeding dogs in a single operation at 50 and required rest between breeding cycles.
    — Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 7 Nov. 2026
Verb
  • The drift usually starts over a 40-foot ledge that quickly slopes down to about a 50-foot depth.
    — Bob Rocchetta as told to Al Ristori, Outdoor Life, 28 Oct. 2026
  • 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
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 newly available cargo bed tilts to 50 degrees and can dump up to 1,400 pounds.
    — Caleb Jacobs, The Drive, 3 Nov. 2026
  • If anyone with a ChatGPT subscription or an open-weight model can hand off that work, control over a device tilts toward whoever’s curious to look inside—no matter their intentions.
    — Peter Hall, Scientific American, 30 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Gacy painted over a thousand pictures, many of clowns, while on death row in the 1980s and 1990s.
    — Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The weekend kicks off in earnest with the annual zombie walk, which this year also features clowns.
    — Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 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 addition to having her entire body covered in green scales, her costume featured a long tail and moving snakes that replaced her hair.
    — Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Another mathematician, James Grime, made the problem more accessible by translating it into a puzzle narrative, involving someone held captive between angry snakes in front of them and a precipitous cliff behind them.
    — Rivka Galchen, New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Heels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heels. Accessed 10 Nov. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster