heal

[ heel ]

verb (used with object)

1. to make healthy, whole, or sound; restore to health; free from ailment.

   Antonyms: irritate

2. 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.

   Synonyms: soothe, compose

   Antonyms: irritate

3. to free from evil; cleanse; purify:

   to heal the soul.

   Synonyms: disinfect, purge

   Antonyms: infect, soil

verb (used without object)

1. to effect a cure.
2. (of a wound, broken bone, etc.) to become whole or sound; mend; get well (often followed by up or over ).

noun

1. (in a video game) a category of spell that restores the health of a player character:

   I thought the party was gonna wipe, but a clutch heal saved our Monk and he finished off the boss alone.

heal

/ hiːl /

verb

1. to restore or be restored to health
2. intr; often foll by over or up (of a wound, burn, etc) to repair by natural processes, as by scar formation
3. tr
   1. to treat (a wound, etc) by assisting in its natural repair
   2. to cure (a disease or disorder)
4. to restore or be restored to friendly relations, harmony, etc

Derived Forms

• ˈhealing, nounadjective
• ˈhealable, adjective
• ˈhealer, noun

Other Words From

• heal·a·ble adjective
• half-healed adjective
• pre·heal verb (used with object)
• un·heal·a·ble adjective
• un·healed adjective
• well-healed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of heal¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of heal¹

Old English hælan; related to Old Norse heila, Gothic hailjan, Old High German heilen; see hale ¹, whole

Synonym Study

See cure.

Example Sentences

She credits stand-up with helping her heal.

From Los Angeles Times

“We suffered loss, but again, we had no fatalities. We suffered loss, but we’ll be able to rebuild. We can rebuild, we can recover and we can heal.”

From Los Angeles Times

Maybe it will not heal the soul completely in this sense, but it will not let rust go deeper in the soul.

From Los Angeles Times

“This is all two weeks out so I’m still processing everything I went through. I’ll continue to process and heal with you all!” she wrote.

From Los Angeles Times

Hours later, LaPaglia wrote on her Instagram story that she was “really blindsided” and shared plans to “hop off social media for a while and attempt to heal privately.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• alleviate
• fix
• improve
• mend
• rebuild
• reconcile
• regenerate
• rehabilitate
• rejuvenate
• repair
• restore
• revive
• settle
• soothe
• treat