heal

[ heel ]
See synonyms for: healhealedhealinghealable on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
  1. to make healthy, whole, or sound; restore to health; free from ailment.

  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.

  1. to free from evil; cleanse; purify: to heal the soul.

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 or over).

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.

Origin of heal

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English helen, Old English hǣlan (cognate with Dutch helen, German heilen, Old Norse heila, Gothic hailjan ), derivative of hāl hale1, whole

synonym study For heal

1. See cure.

Other words for heal

Opposites for heal

Other words from heal

  • heal·a·ble, adjective
  • half-healed, adjective
  • pre·heal, verb (used with object)
  • un·heal·a·ble, adjective
  • un·healed, adjective
  • well-healed, adjective

Words that may be confused with heal

Words Nearby heal

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

How to use heal in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for heal

heal

/ (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

  1. (tr)

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

    • to cure (a disease or disorder)

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

Origin of heal

1
Old English hælan; related to Old Norse heila, Gothic hailjan, Old High German heilen; see hale 1, whole

Derived forms of heal

  • healable, adjective
  • healer, noun
  • healing, noun, adjective

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