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heal

[heel]
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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.
  3. to free from evil; cleanse; purify: to heal the soul.
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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).
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Origin of heal

before 900; Middle English helen, Old English hǣlan (cognate with Dutch helen, German heilen, Old Norse heila, Gothic hailjan), derivative of hāl hale1, whole
Related formsheal·a·ble, adjectivehalf-healed, adjectivepre·heal, verb (used with object)un·heal·a·ble, adjectiveun·healed, adjectivewell-healed, adjective
Can be confusedheal heel he'll

Synonyms

See more synonyms for heal on Thesaurus.com
2. compose, soothe. 3. purge, disinfect.

Synonym study

1. See cure.

Antonyms

1, 2. irritate. 3. soil, infect.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for healed

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • You sewed this up'—and he held up his arm showing a healed scar.

    The Underdog

    F. Hopkinson Smith

  • His wound had not yet healed, but he was less exhausted than Lewis.

    Ned Myers

    James Fenimore Cooper

  • That slit had healed now, but the scar was always at his throat, and in both their hearts.

    The Slave Of The Lamp

    Henry Seton Merriman

  • I lay thinking of my distressed condition; wishing I could be healed.

    The Channings

    Mrs. Henry Wood

  • French men and women were still suffering; their wounds were not healed.

    My Double Life

    Sarah Bernhardt

British Dictionary definitions for healed

heal

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
  3. (tr)
    1. to treat (a wound, etc) by assisting in its natural repair
    2. to cure (a disease or disorder)
  4. to restore or be restored to friendly relations, harmony, etc
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Derived Formshealable, adjectivehealer, nounhealing, noun, adjective

Word Origin

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

Word Origin and History for healed

heal

v.

Old English hælan "cure; save; make whole, sound and well," from Proto-Germanic *hailjan (cf. Old Saxon helian, Old Norse heila, Old Frisian hela, Dutch helen, German heilen, Gothic ga-hailjan "to heal, cure"), literally "to make whole" (see health). Related: Healed; healing.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
healed in Medicine

heal

(hēl)
v.
  1. To restore to health or soundness; cure.
  2. To become well; return to sound health.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.