heels 1 of 2

noun

plural of heel
as in dogs
a person whose behavior is offensive to others felt like a heel when she found out that she'd blamed the wrong person

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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
Hot on the heels of Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe scoring on the night Champions League football returned, three of the other contenders for the sport’s most prestigious individual prize provided a timely reminder of their own credentials. — Stuart James, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026 Sneakers and socks sliding across the floor, heels lifting and landing in time with the music. — Erica Rosenfeld Halverson, Washington Post, 9 Sep. 2026 The decision came on the heels of a Haitian investigation indicting Sanon and 50 others in connection with the July 7, 2021, assassination. — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 9 Sep. 2026 Both wore Christian Louboutin heels covered in crystals, per WWD, along with body-hugging, ankle-length dresses. — Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 8 Sep. 2026 The Día De Muertos Barbies come on the heels of Mattel’s official 2026 Holiday Barbie release, which dropped last month. — Tim Chan, Footwear News, 8 Sep. 2026 Those collaborations, releasing this week, come on the heels of Adidas executives detailing plans to revive the Stan Smith tennis shoe beginning this fall. — Sara Germano, Sportico.com, 8 Sep. 2026 The defining traits are always a slim silhouette, low heels, and buttery-soft leather or suede fabrics. — Mayte Salido, Glamour, 8 Sep. 2026 The results come on the heels of Hill’s reinstatement as CMS superintendent following a nearly two-month-long investigation this summer. — Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 2 Sep. 2026
Verb
Savoy Brown also wore Manolo Blahnik heels with a Hanut Singh ring. — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 26 Feb. 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
  1. dogs
  2. slopes
  3. jerks
  4. tilts
  5. clowns
  6. angles
  7. skunks
  8. snakes
Noun
  • Above and below the main narrative of the Bayeux Tapestry are two strips filled with ancient beasts, including tail-chasing dogs and tightly knotted swans.
    — John Phipps, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Understand the leash laws on the trail and be sure to pick a location that allows dogs.
    — Madeline Gunderson, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of dogs
Verb
  • 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
  • Depending on the excursion’s stops, snorkelers might float above patch reefs or explore the channels between spur-and-groove coral formations as the reef slopes into deeper water.
    — Sarah Bruning, Travel + Leisure, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of slopes
Noun
  • The Ars OpenForum is a place for readers to ask questions, compare notes, argue (without being jerks to each other), and go down all sorts of rabbit holes.
    — Eric Bangeman, ArsTechnica, 31 Aug. 2026
  • That screwed up the works / And not due to his sloppy hiring / Of a crew of incompetent jerks.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of jerks
Verb
  • No player tilts the axis of a football game more consistently; at this point, his levels of production are being taken for granted.
    — The Athletic NFL Staff, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Pelvic tilts When instructed to stay in one place, our pelvis, seeking comfort, can tilt itself into an anterior (towards the front of your body) or posterior (towards the back of your body) position.
    — Sophia Dyer, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of tilts
Noun
  • Yusef Toubassi sits with his grandson Masa, looking on as children run by with cheeks painted bright colors and others howling with joy as clowns spin them around.
    — Dina Kraft, Christian Science Monitor, 19 Aug. 2026
  • One morning during my stay, there were even clowns buzzing about—a thrill to receive a balloon poodle alongside my morning flat white.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 July 2026
Definition of clowns
Verb
  • 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
  • Outdoor curtains lend some privacy while providing a bit of shade when the sun angles in at sunrise and sunset.
    — Wendy Rose Gould, Martha Stewart, 23 June 2026
Definition of angles
Noun
  • The National Aviary wants your help naming its two new skunk sisters.
    — Finch Walker, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
  • State officials say four goats from Farm Adventures Mobile Petting Zoo were likely exposed by a skunk that went into the pen where they're kept.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of skunks
Noun
  • With interiors largely shot inside Hossain’s own house in Dhaka, the film is filled with striking shots of animals — lizards galore, snakes, monkeys, and mosquitoes.
    — Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2026
  • The snakes came to their audition thanks to Nancy Novograd and her company All Tame Animals.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of snakes

Phrases Containing heels

Browse Nearby Words

heeling
heels
heft
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Heels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heels. Accessed 11 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of patina

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All