down-at-the-heels

[ doun-uht-thuh-heelz ]
/ ˈdaʊn ət ðəˈhilz /

adjective

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

QUIZZES

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Question 1 of 10
What does “barren” mean?
a cylindrical wooden container with slightly bulging sides.
Worn down by dullness, tedious repetition.
unproductive; unfruitful
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Also down-at-the-heel; down-at-heel [doun-uht-heel], /ˈdaʊn ət ˈhil/, down-at-heels .

Origin of down-at-the-heels

First recorded in 1695–1705

Words nearby down-at-the-heels

dowly, Dow metal, down, down-and-dirty, down-and-out, down-at-the-heels, down-ballot, downbeat, down-bow, downburst, down card
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for down-at-the-heels

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

    Mark Twain|Archibald Henderson

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

    Destiny|Charles Neville Buck