heal
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to make healthy, whole, or sound; restore to health; free from ailment.
- Antonyms:
- irritate
-
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.
- Antonyms:
- irritate
-
to free from evil; cleanse; purify.
to heal the soul.
verb (used without object)
-
to effect a cure.
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(of a wound, broken bone, etc.) to become whole or sound; mend; get well (often followed by up orover ).
noun
verb
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to restore or be restored to health
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(intr; often foll by over or up) (of a wound, burn, etc) to repair by natural processes, as by scar formation
-
(tr)
-
to treat (a wound, etc) by assisting in its natural repair
-
to cure (a disease or disorder)
-
-
to restore or be restored to friendly relations, harmony, etc
Related Words
See cure.
Other Word Forms
- half-healed adjective
- healable adjective
- healer noun
- healing noun
- preheal verb (used with object)
- unhealable adjective
- unhealed adjective
- well-healed adjective
Etymology
Origin of heal
First recorded before 900; Middle English helen, Old English hǣlan (cognate with Dutch helen, German heilen, Old Norse heila, Gothic hailjan ), derivative of hāl hale 1, whole
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The posters that hang in hospitals and clinics are nothing more than Band-Aids placed on a wound that won’t heal without surgery.
There were bumps and bruises everywhere that needed to heal.
From Literature
Aging muscles heal more slowly after injury, a frustrating reality familiar to many older adults.
From Science Daily
Once the posts are secure and his mouth has healed, custom crowns matched to his natural teeth in shape, color, and size will be placed on top of each post.
From Los Angeles Times
She said the scar had not healed and there was a "gaping hole", and the implant site was infected.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
