Heel Meaning
/hiːl/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounThe rear part of the foot, where it joins the leg.
nounThe part of a shoe's sole which supports the foot's heel.
Sentence Examples
The first baseman is the Achilles heel of our team.
She got a run in her stocking when she broke the heel of her shoe.
CEFR Practice Quiz
He stepped on a sharp rock and injured his ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
I have a painful blister on my ____ because my new shoes are a bit too tight.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree Middle English hele English heel From Middle English hele, from Old English hēla, from Proto-West Germanic *hą̄hilō, from Proto-Germanic *hanhilaz, diminutive of Proto-Germanic *hanhaz (“heel, hock”), equivalent to hock + -le. More at hock. Compare North Frisian haiel, West Frisian hyl, Dutch hiel, German Low German Hiel, Danish and Norwegian hæl, Swedish häl.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"He [the stag] calls to mind his strength and then his speed, / His winged heels and then his armed head."
— 1709, John Denham, Coopers-Hill:
"She'd been wearing heels, and fell backward off her right heel and twisted or broke her ankle."
— 2008, Kwame Shauku, Wonderful Williams and the Magnificent Seven, page 257:
"Opting to improve her odds of making it up the stairs and into the privacy of her room, she kicked off her left heel, and then her right before leaning down to scoop them up."
— 2011, Candace Irvine, A Dangerous Engagement:
"Flat shoes. As she pushed off her left heel and pressed the sole of her foot to the cold floor she looked forward to them."
— 2015, Alex Blackmore, Killing Eva:
"Oh mama, I'm just having fun
On the stage in my heels
It's where I belong down at the..."
— 2020 April 3, Chappell Roan, Dan Nigro, “Pink Pony Club”performed by Chappell Roan:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
He stepped on a sharp rock and injured his ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
I have a painful blister on my ____ because my new shoes are a bit too tight.