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

Jesus tells the story as a lesson that we should pay less attention when people loudly tell us what we want to hear and more heed to what they actually do.

From The Wall Street Journal

To me, a Midwestern kid familiar with winter winds dragging their fangs across her face, Mary’s upright spine and sure gait set an example worth heeding.

From Salon

While Brooks said that some of his military clients are heeding that call on gold because of its long track record in holding value, they are also looking for newer diversification options.

From MarketWatch

Still, she wishes she had heeded earlier the advice of her mother and grandmother who "always reminded me that gold is the safest haven".

From Barron's

But many senior U.S. officials believed Sharaa would heed Washington’s repeated warnings to stop attacking the Syria Kurds, officials said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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