heel
The back part of the human foot below the ankle. / The back part of a shoe or boot. / The end part of a loaf of bread. / A person who is dishonorable or contemptible. / To follow closely behind someone or something. / To move toward the heel of a handler, usually a dog.
Transitive VerbIntransitive Verb[C/U] Both
pl: heelspast: heeledpp: heeleding: heeling
The word evokes a sense of the lowest or outermost point of a structure. Whether it is the base of a foot, the end of a loaf, or the back of a shoe, it represents a boundary or a support point.
When applied to a person, the term shifts from a physical location to a moral judgment. Calling someone a heel suggests they are low-life or lacking in integrity, mirroring the physical position of the heel as the bottom-most part of the body.
Countable when referring to a specific body part, a shoe component, or a despicable person. Uncountable when referring to the general concept of the rear part of a loaf of bread.
Meanings
Phrasal Verbs
heel over
to tilt or capsize, typically referring to a ship
The yacht heeled over sharply as the strong wind hit the sails.