heal

American  

[heel] / hil /

verb (used with object)

1. to make healthy, whole, or sound; restore to health; free from ailment.

   Antonyms:

   irritate

2. to bring to an end or conclusion, as conflicts between people or groups, usually with the strong implication of restoring former amity; settle; reconcile.

   They tried to heal the rift between them but were unsuccessful.

   Synonyms:

   soothe, compose

   Antonyms:

   irritate

3. to free from evil; cleanse; purify.

   to heal the soul.

   Synonyms:

   disinfect, purge

   Antonyms:

   infect, soil

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verb (used without object)

1. to effect a cure.

2. (of a wound, broken bone, etc.) to become whole or sound; mend; get well (often followed by up orover ).

noun

1. (in a video game) a category of spell that restores the health of a player character.

   I thought the party was gonna wipe, but a clutch heal saved our Monk and he finished off the boss alone.

heal British  

/ hiːl /

verb

1. to restore or be restored to health

2. (intr; often foll by over or up) (of a wound, burn, etc) to repair by natural processes, as by scar formation

3. (tr)

   1. to treat (a wound, etc) by assisting in its natural repair

   2. to cure (a disease or disorder)

4. to restore or be restored to friendly relations, harmony, etc

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Related Words

See cure.

Other Word Forms

• half-healed adjective
• healable adjective
• healer noun
• healing noun
• preheal verb (used with object)
• unhealable adjective
• unhealed adjective
• well-healed adjective

Etymology

Origin of heal

First recorded before 900; Middle English helen, Old English hǣlan (cognate with Dutch helen, German heilen, Old Norse heila, Gothic hailjan ), derivative of hāl hale ¹, whole

Example Sentences

I said to myself, “Let’s focus on getting this healed as fast as possible.”

From The Wall Street Journal

"I've had a lot of procedures prior to that, so the body doesn't quite heal like it was when I was 24. Doesn't quite bounce back," said Woods.

From BBC

But I would linger in that narrow passage under the eaves, yearning to say something, to heal something.

From Literature

As the story goes, Huber suffered from burns and spent 12 years creating a cream that could help heal his scars, using sea kelp he would harvest off the Pacific coast.

From The Wall Street Journal

Fa had told him about Mages: people who can heal sickness, and dream where the prey is and what the weather will do.

From Literature

Related Words

• alleviate
• fix
• improve
• mend
• rebuild
• reconcile
• regenerate
• rehabilitate
• rejuvenate
• repair
• restore
• revive
• settle
• soothe
• treat