heed

[ heed ]

verb (used with object)

1. to give careful attention to:

   He did not heed the warning.

   Synonyms: mark, consider, observe, note

   Antonyms: ignore, disregard

verb (used without object)

1. to give attention; have regard.

noun

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

   Synonyms: watchfulness, vigilance, caution, care, consideration

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)

Derived Forms

• ˈheedful, adjective
• ˈheeder, noun
• ˈheedfulness, noun
• ˈheedfully, adverb

Other Words From

• heeder noun
• un·heeded adjective
• un·heeded·ly adverb
• un·heeding adjective
• un·heeding·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of heed¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of heed¹

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

Example Sentences

The issue alarmed privacy experts, but many X users heeded Musk’s call and submitted health information to the chatbot.

From Los Angeles Times

Honduran President Xiomara Castro had warned citizens living near rivers as early as Thursday to take shelter elsewhere and thousands heeded her call.

From BBC

More than 400,000 people heeded evacuation orders ahead of the storm, civil defence said.

From BBC

The malevolent among us will surely take heed.

From Los Angeles Times

Netanyahu, wary of the collapse of his coalition government which has been dependent on support from the ultra-Orthodox parties, paid no heed.

From BBC

More About Heed

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.

Where does heed come from?

The first records of the word heed come from before 900. It comes from the Old English word hēdan, which is related to the German hüten, meaning “to guard” or “to protect.”

Today, heed can sometimes sound old-fashioned, and terms like pay attention to or listen to are more commonly used. But heed packs a lot of meaning into just four letters, since it usually means “pay attention to and then act on.” Perhaps because of this and how short it is, heed is often used in news headlines, as in Governor heeds calls for tax reform or Residents urged to heed evacuation order.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to heed?

• heeder (noun)
• heedful (adjective)
• heedfulness (noun)

What are some synonyms for heed?

• listen to
• pay attention to
• attend
• mark
• regard
• note

What are some words that share a root or word element with heed? 

 

• unheeded

 

What are some words that often get used in discussing heed?

• warning
• advice
• call
• request
• take
• give
• pay

How is heed used in real life?

Heed is especially used in the context of warnings, advice, requests, and calls for some kind of action.

Prepare 👏 prepare 👏 prepare 👏

We do what we do so @NHC_Atlantic can give you as much of a heads up as possible. Listen to your local gov’t. Heed warnings. Be prepared.

Most of all, stay safe, everyone! https://t.co/UW7jCtB5pI

— Hurricane Hunters (@53rdWRS) September 14, 2020

How should museums serve the public? Are museums heeding calls for diversity? National Gallery of Art director Kaywin Feldman and Equal Justice Initiative founder Bryan Stevenson answer these questions and more https://t.co/Ib0hPGpVmD

— ARTnews (@artnews) July 2, 2019

Tax bills can swell or shrink based on how well people heed the fine-print rules of their retirement accounts https://t.co/M47UykLj8u

— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) August 30, 2019

 

 

Try using heed!

Which of the following terms is NOT a synonym of heed?

A. disregard
B. listen to
C. note
D. pay attention to