heed

American  

[heed] / hid /

verb (used with object)

1. to give careful attention to.

   He did not heed the warning.

   Synonyms:

   mark, consider, observe, note

   Antonyms:

   ignore, disregard

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verb (used without object)

1. to give attention; have regard.

noun

1. careful attention; notice; observation (usually with give ortake ).

   Synonyms:

   watchfulness, vigilance, caution, care, consideration

heed British  

/ hiːd /

noun

1. close and careful attention; notice (often in the phrases give, pay, or take heed )

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verb

1. to pay close attention to (someone or something)

Usage

What does heed mean? To heed something is to listen to it, pay careful attention to it, or otherwise observe or acknowledge it in some way—and often to take action on it.To heed a warning is to listen to it and do what it says to do (or not do what it says not to do). To heed a request is honor it—to do what is requested. To heed calls for reform is to acknowledge them, and, sometimes, to actually follow through and make reforms.Heed can also be used as a noun meaning careful attention or observation. It’s most often used in the phrases take heed, give heed, and pay heed, which all mean to listen or pay attention, as in Take heed to what he says, for he is very wise. To pay no heed to someone is to disregard or ignore them.The adjective unheeded means disregarded, despite having been heard or noted. An unheeded warning is one that has been ignored.Example: I should have heeded your warnings, but instead I ignored them.

Other Word Forms

• heeder noun
• heedful adjective
• heedfully adverb
• heedfulness noun
• unheeded adjective
• unheededly adverb
• unheeding adjective
• unheedingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of heed

First recorded before 900; Middle English heden, Old English hēdan; cognate with German hüten “to guard, protect”; akin to hood ¹

Example Sentences

Dennis' first ever story, in black and white, involved him getting into trouble for failing to heed a warning to keep off the grass.

From BBC

Boatwright would be wise to heed this history and either take Chipotle into new frontiers or prepare for its inevitable irrelevance.

From Los Angeles Times

Newsom wrote that he watched tapes of motivational guru Tony Robbins and heeded his advice to remake yourself in the image of someone you admire.

From Los Angeles Times

“You can shear a sheep for life, but you can only slaughter it once” goes an old saying that sportsbooks seem to have heeded.

From The Wall Street Journal

But she added that she remained doubtful that Andrew would heed growing calls to testify in the US about his links to Epstein.

From BBC

Related Words

• hear
• listen
• obey
• observe
• take to heart