down-at-the-heels

[ doun-uht-thuh-heelz ]

adjective
  1. having a shabby, run-down appearance; seedy: He is rapidly becoming a down-at-the-heels drifter and a drunk.

Origin of down-at-the-heels

1
First recorded in 1695–1705
  • Also down-at-the-heel; down-at-heel [doun-uht-heel], /ˈdaʊn ət ˈhil/, down-at-heels .

Words Nearby down-at-the-heels

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use down-at-the-heels in a sentence

  • "down-at-the-heels gentility gone into trade," smiled Marcia.

    Destiny | Charles Neville Buck
  • Mr. Howells has aptly described Hannibal as a "loafing, out-at-elbows, down-at-the-heels, slaveholding Mississippi river town."

    Mark Twain | Archibald Henderson