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Glite Dictionary
👠 Part of shoe 🦶 Back of foot 🔚 End part 😒 A bad person 🥿 To repair shoes ⛵ To tilt 🐕 To follow closely 🏌️ To hit off-center
to heel

to heel

2 6.9
To stay very close behind someone, like a trained dog
  • verb
  • /hil/
translation icon : caminar junto a
  • To ensure good behavior, the trainer taught the puppy to heel during their walks.

Examples

  • PLEASE HEEL.

    Dunston Checks In (1996)

  • When the Company tells you to heel, you heel.

    Mars (1998)

  • Please heel!

    Underdog (2007)

  • You heel!

    Crimewave (1985)

  • When training his dog, he commands, 'heel!' and the dog follows closely behind him.

  • During their obedience class, the instructor instructed the owners to have their dogs heel at their side.

Synonyms

to dog
vsto heel
23 6.8

To follow someone closely and keep causing them trouble

is steadier and trained, not meant to harass or catch
hot on someone's heels
vsto heel
  • Informal
6.1

Close behind someone and almost catching them

is steadier and trained, not driven by urgent pursuit

Antonyms

to lead
∞ 1.0

To go with someone and show them the way to a place

Idioms

to turn on one's heel
3 7.4

To leave quickly by suddenly walking away because you are angry or shocked

down at heel
  • UK
1 8.2

Looking old and in poor condition because of poverty

Phrasal Verbs

to bring to heel
  • Informal
3 7.6

Make someone or something obey after they resist

Compounds

Achilles' heel
  • Informal
11 6.3

A small but serious weakness in someone or something that can cause failure

high heel
6 2.7

A woman's shoe that raises the back of the foot high

stiletto heel
4 4.4

A very thin, high part under women's shoes that ends in a small point

spike heel
3 5.0

A very high, thin part at the back of a woman's shoe that ends in a small point

Cuban heel
1 7.2

A medium-height heel on shoes like boots, slightly tapered at the back

kitten heel
1 6.1

A woman's shoe with a short thin heel that gives a small lift

stacked heel
  • Specialized
1 6.5

A shoe heel made from many thin layers of leather or other material

wedge heel
1 3.7

A thick triangular part under a shoe that lifts the back of the foot

block heel
3.3

A wide, square heel on a shoe that gives good balance

chunky heel
3.8

A wide, thick heel on a shoe or boot that gives more balance

French heel
7.4

A fairly high, narrow part at the back of a shoe that curves inward

heel counter
  • Specialized
7.2

A piece of stiff material at the back of a shoe that supports the heel

heel tip
  • Specialized
5.8

The small part at the back bottom of a shoe that touches the ground and can be replaced

iron heel
  • NSFW
9.9

A heavy iron tool used to crush a foot or leg to hurt someone

Tar Heel State
6.8

A nickname for the state of North Carolina in the United States

wineglass heel
7.7

The thin raised back of a woman's shoe is narrow at base, wider in middle, narrow at top

How Close

to heel
2 6.9
to tail
52 5.9
to shadow
27 6.0
to follow
∞ 1.0
to trail
91 2.2

Surface Forms

heel infinitive
heeled past
heeled past participle
heeling present participle
heels third person singular

Etymology

To heel someone (often a dog) comes from the idea of staying by the owner's heel, or right behind the foot, so to heel is to follow closely at someone's side.