heed

[ heed ]
See synonyms for: heedheededheedingheeder on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
  1. to give careful attention to: He did not heed the warning.

verb (used without object)
  1. to give attention; have regard.

noun
  1. careful attention; notice; observation (usually with give or take).

Origin of heed

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English heden, Old English hēdan; cognate with German hüten “to guard, protect”; akin to hood1

Other words for heed

Opposites for heed

Other words from heed

  • heeder, noun
  • un·heed·ed, adjective
  • un·heed·ed·ly, adverb
  • un·heed·ing, adjective
  • un·heed·ing·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use heed in a sentence

  • He had "chains on," and came "shaking his chains" at the Greek scholar, who heeded him not, but went on with his studies.

  • The putrid flesh came away with the garments, but the drunkards never heeded.

    The Chequers | James Runciman
  • She saw the old life closing in on her, and hardly heeded his fanciful picture of renewal.

    Summer | Edith Wharton
  • He never heeded it, but others in the room turned at the sound, and a hush fell in the chamber.

    Mistress Wilding | Rafael Sabatini
  • From the benches came countless curses and jeers—Frankish and Arabic; he heeded none.

    God Wills It! | William Stearns Davis

British Dictionary definitions for heed

heed

/ (hiːd) /


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

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

Origin of heed

1
Old English hēdan; related to Old Saxon hōdian, Old High German huoten

Derived forms of heed

  • heeder, noun
  • heedful, adjective
  • heedfully, adverb
  • heedfulness, noun

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