Synonyms

heal

American

[heel] / hil /

verb (used with object)

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

Antonyms:

irritate
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
to free from evil; cleanse; purify.

to heal the soul.

Synonyms:

disinfect, purge

Antonyms:

infect, soil

verb (used without object)

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

noun

(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

to restore or be restored to health
(intr; often foll by over or up) (of a wound, burn, etc) to repair by natural processes, as by scar formation
(tr)
1. to treat (a wound, etc) by assisting in its natural repair
2. to cure (a disease or disorder)
to restore or be restored to friendly relations, harmony, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Synonym Usage

See cure.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

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

Explanation

To heal is to recover or become healthy again. You'll need to wait until your blisters heal before you put your hiking boots back on and climb Mt. Everest. They say time can heal, or cure, a broken heart, while you can be sure that rest, an ice pack, and propping your foot up will heal your twisted ankle. The Proto-Germanic word khailaz, which means "to make whole" is the root of both heal and the closely related word health. Don't confuse heal with heel, which is the back part of your foot or the command that makes a dog stop.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

heal heals healed healing

Villarreal: A lot of people wanted you to take home Baby Jane Doe to heal and deal with some of your stuff.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

Despite generous overtures to Stevens and assurances to the Jewish community El-Sayed made in remarks on Wednesday morning after the race was called, there are intraparty divisions left to heal.

From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026

Supposedly, the compounds are a way to sleep better, heal faster, fight aging, combat certain medical conditions, and in general boost health and vitality.

From Slate ● Jul. 29, 2026

And there is no simple answer to the question of how much they will heal after quitting.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

“The trees won’t talk to me. But they’ll heal me. I’ll take it.”

From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack

If I could boil my formula for the future of dementia care into two words, it would be this: Hope heals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026

The organization is continuing to provide treatment and observation as he heals, with the goal of helping him recover and eventually find a new home.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 7, 2026

From there, activists could demand almost whatever they want: action on climate change, an end to mass surveillance and ICE raids, or an equitable health system that heals instead of mangles.

From Salon ● Dec. 11, 2025

In 1986, an article in the New Journal of Medicine by Dr. Harold Dvorak suggested that cancer behaves very much like a wound that never heals.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 10, 2025

“He’s gonna have to use his wheelchair for a while until his leg heals again.”

From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro

This deep ecumenical fracture won't be healed for some time after the war.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

Most of the marked bones showed no signs that the surrounding tissue had healed.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 5, 2026

As their $20 bills started flying at him, so did their stories, about how raw milk had healed their health issues, including asthma.

From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026

Now, at 25, she says Florescence is a natural successor, but "definitely feels a lot more healed".

From BBC ● May 22, 2026

She’d make sure he was alright, stay with him until he healed, and then together they’d go to Cuba and find their parents and sisters.

From "Dactyl Hill Squad" by Daniel José Older

They also believe that learning more about the local activity of C3 could improve understanding of other biological processes, including wound healing and the regulation of inflammation.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 8, 2026

“Targeting a mural created to be a source of healing and communal inspiration, in response to a prior act of antisemitic vandalism, is an assault not only on PJTC, but on our community here.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

Love has always been central to FLO's music, but on this album they explore its messier realities, with nights out providing the backdrop for stories of heartbreak, healing and friendship.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

Proponents offer sweeping claims about their benefits, ranging from glowing skin and muscle growth to brain health and wound healing.

From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026

Other doctors claimed that Lister's method made no difference in wound healing.

From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023