verb
heal
HEEL
verb
1
To make well again after illness or injury; to recover.
"The wound took two weeks to heal completely."
"Time helped heal the grief they felt after the loss."
2
To repair a rift or resolve a conflict between people.
"The two brothers finally healed their long-standing feud."
How to Use Heal
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo get better, or to make something (a wound, a rift) better.
Common mistake
Don't confuse with heel (the back of the foot) or heal used as a noun in some games — as a standard verb it always means "to cure/recover."
Common pairings
heal a wound
time will heal
heal old wounds
Word Forms
healed past tense, heals plural, Heals plural, heals singular
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The wound took two weeks to _____ completely.
Etymology
From Old English hǣlan, related to the word whole — to heal originally meant "to make whole again."