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• Achilles heel
  Achilles heel

  noun

  a portion, spot, area, or the like, that is especially or solely vulnerable.
• Achilles' heel
  Achilles' heel

  A point of vulnerability. (See Achilles.)

Achilles heel

American  

Or Achilles' heel

noun

1. a portion, spot, area, or the like, that is especially or solely vulnerable.

   His Achilles heel is his quick temper.

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Achilles heel British  

noun

1. a small but fatal weakness

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Achilles' heel Cultural  

1. A point of vulnerability. (See Achilles.)

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Achilles' heel Idioms  

1. A fatal weakness, a vulnerable area, as in This division, which is rarely profitable, is the company's Achilles' heel. The term alludes to the Greek legend about the heroic warrior Achilles whose mother tried to make him immortal by holding the infant by his heel and dipping him into the River Styx. Eventually he was killed by an arrow shot into his undipped heel. [c. 1800]

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Etymology

Origin of Achilles heel

First recorded in 1800–10

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Achilles heel Achilles' heel

Even China’s imports of crude, previously an Achilles heel given its heavy dependence on energy to fuel its economy, dropped 8.8% as electric vehicles continue to dominate the market for autos domestically.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 14, 2026

“This exposes an Achilles heel to the Burn, and other people potentially trying to get away with something this awful,” Vandenbark-Woodward said.

From Salon ● Oct. 27, 2025

“You have spontaneous multiple events, which is the Achilles heel of any operation,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2025

A fungus devastating frogs and toads on nearly every continent may have an Achilles heel.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 3, 2024

“An Achilles heel is a weakness, and you’ve got one.”

From "The Million Dollar Shot" by Dan Gutman

It is an Achilles' heel that has dogged Scheffler before, but the PGA Tour has him as fifth-best putter, external on tour in 2026 - so it is certainly not a problem every week.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

But once the system moves toward mainstream use, being open source becomes an Achilles’ heel and a gift to hackers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026

President Donald Trump will want to avoid at all costs a prolonged surge in oil prices, which would become his political Achilles' heel.

From Barron's ● Mar. 10, 2026

Investors and policymakers should ask themselves whether the push into the retail space may turn out to be private credit’s Achilles’ heel.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 26, 2026

She’s the Achilles’ heel of their marriage, and it’s only noticeable if you’ve been watching it for sixteen years like I have.

From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas