heal
gb/hˈil/ us/hˈil/
B1
English
~ 8100
meggyógyul, begyógyul, meggyógyít, lelkileg gyógyul, kihever, helyrehoz, kibékít, áthidal
VERB
B1
1
meggyógyul
A2
begyógyul
B1
Usage pattern:
[a wound/injury/body part] heals
The cut on his hand healed quickly.
A kezén lévő vágás gyorsan begyógyult.
Her broken ankle healed in about six weeks.
A bokatörése körülbelül hat hét alatt gyógyult meg.
If you keep scratching it, the wound will never heal.
The burn has almost healed, but the skin is still sensitive.
With rest, his shoulder finally healed enough for him to play again.
Learner examples
The small cut healed in a few days.
A kis vágás néhány nap alatt begyógyult.
Her leg needs more time to heal.
Még több idő kell, hogy meggyógyuljon a lába.
Do not touch the scar while it heals.
The doctor said the bone will heal well.
My finger is still red, but it is healing.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *"The doctor healed very fast"* when they mean *"The wound healed very fast"*. Use *heal* for the injury or body part, not the doctor, in this intransitive sense. Also, instead of *"My cold healed"*, it is more natural to say *"My cold went away"* or *"I got better"*; *heal* is more common for cuts, injuries, burns, and bones.
Meaning
for a wound or injury to recover
Collocations
cut heals
|broken bone heals
|wound heals
|heal naturally
|heal slowly
|heal completely
Synonyms
mend (Often used for broken bones or things that are damaged; slightly less medical in tone.)
Antonyms
worsen (Describes an injury or condition becoming more serious instead of improving.)
Themes
health
|body
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To get better after a cut or injury, when your body fixes itself.
To become healthy again after being cut, injured, or damaged, especially when skin or tissue closes and returns to normal.
VERB
B1
2
meggyógyít
A2
Usage pattern:
[someone/something] heals [someone/an injury]
The new treatment helped heal his damaged skin.
Az új kezelés segített meggyógyítani a sérült bőrét.
The vet was able to heal the dog’s leg after the accident.
Az állatorvos a baleset után meg tudta gyógyítani a kutya lábát.
This cream is designed to heal minor burns and cuts.
Skilled surgeons can sometimes heal injuries that once caused permanent disability.
Clean the area well to heal the infection more quickly.
Learner examples
The doctor healed her hand after the fall.
Az orvos meggyógyította a kezét az esés után.
This medicine will help heal your sore throat.
Ez a gyógyszer segíteni fog, hogy meggyógyuljon a fájó torkod.
A good diet can help heal your body.
The nurse cleaned the cut to heal it faster.
The vet healed the cat’s broken leg.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes overuse *heal* with illnesses and say *"The doctor healed my cold"*. It is more natural to say *"The doctor treated my cold"* or *"The doctor helped me get better"*. Use *heal* more often with injuries, cuts, burns, and broken bones.
Meaning
make someone or something healthy again
Collocations
heal a wound
|heal an injury
|heal a broken bone
|help to heal
|doctor heals
|treatment heals
Synonyms
cure (Stronger idea of completely removing a disease; often used for illnesses, not usually for specific cuts or injuries.)
Antonyms
harm (Means to hurt or damage someone or something instead of making them better.)
Themes
health
|medicine
|body
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To help a person or injury get better and become healthy again.
To make someone or something healthy again after illness or injury.
VERB
B2
3
kihever
B2
Usage pattern:
[someone] heals (from [experience])
After the accident, it took her years to heal emotionally.
A baleset után évekbe telt, mire lelkileg felépült.
He is still trying to heal from his parents’ divorce.
Még mindig próbálja kiheverni a szülei válását.
Therapy helped him heal from his childhood experiences.
The community is slowly healing from the tragedy.
She needed time alone to heal before starting a new relationship.
Learner examples
She needs time to heal after the breakup.
Időre van szüksége, hogy lelkileg felépüljön a szakítás után.
Counseling can help people heal from trauma.
A tanácsadás segíthet az embereknek lelkileg felépülni a traumából.
He is still healing from the loss of his father.
The family is healing after the bad event.
It may take a long time to heal inside.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *"heal my heart"* in serious conversation, copying song lyrics. In real-life speech, people more often say *"I need time to heal"*, *"I’m still healing"*, or *"I’m trying to get over it"* rather than directly mentioning the heart.
Meaning
recover from emotional pain
Collocations
heal from trauma
|heal emotionally
|time to heal
|heal from a breakup
|heal from a loss
|process of healing
Synonyms
recover (A more general word for getting better; does not specifically suggest deep emotional repair.)
Antonyms
remain hurt (Describes staying in a painful emotional state instead of improving.)
Themes
emotions
|mental health
|relationships
|health
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To slowly feel okay again after a very sad or hurtful experience.
To gradually become emotionally healthy again after sadness, trauma, or loss.
VERB
B2
4
Usage pattern:
[someone/something] heals [a relationship/a rift/divisions]
The apology helped heal the rift between the two friends.
A bocsánatkérés segített rendezni a két barát közötti ellentétet.
Leaders are working to heal the divisions in the country.
A vezetők azon dolgoznak, hogy áthidalják az országon belüli megosztottságot.
It will take time to heal the damage caused by the scandal.
The project brought neighbors together and helped heal the community.
Honest conversation is needed to heal their relationship.
Learner examples
Her words helped heal the broken friendship.
A szavai segítettek helyrehozni a megromlott barátságot.
The family is trying to heal their relationship.
A családtagok próbálják helyrehozni a kapcsolatukat.
The new leader wants to heal the split in the group.
They met to heal the problem between them.
It takes time to heal old hurts.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse this with the very literal medical meaning and feel unsure if *heal* is correct with abstract nouns like *rift* or *divisions*. In modern English, it is natural to use *heal* to talk about repairing relationships or social problems.
Meaning
repair a relationship or division
Collocations
heal a rift
|heal a relationship
|heal divisions
|heal the community
|heal old wounds
|heal the damage
Synonyms
repair (A general word for fixing something; less emotional and less specific to relationships.)
Antonyms
widen (In this context, to make a division or conflict between people more serious instead of closing it.)
Themes
relationships
|society
|emotions
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To fix a broken relationship or problem between people so they can be close or friendly again.
To improve or repair a damaged relationship, conflict, or social division so that people can live or work together again.
Grammar
Dictionary form
heal
IPA
GB/hˈil/
US/hˈil/
Syllables & stress
heal (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (heal)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: heal
- 3rd Person Singular: heals
- Present Participle: healing
- Past: healed
Word family
Expressions
give it time to heal
1/ɡˈɪv ˈɪt tˈaɪm tə hˈil/
fixed phrase
allow time for recovery
To wait and not push too hard so something can get better.
Examples
- You should avoid running and give it time to heal.
- The relationship might improve if you give it time to heal.
heal a rift
1/hˈil ə ɹˈɪft/
fixed phrase
repair a serious disagreement
To fix a big problem between people so they can be friendly again.
Examples
- Their children helped heal the rift between them.
- The meeting was an attempt to heal a long-standing rift in the party.
heal from [something]
1/hˈil fɹˈʌm sˈʌmθɪŋ/
fixed phrase
recover after a specific event
To get better after a particular bad event, illness, or injury.
Examples
- She is still trying to heal from the loss of her job.
- It can take a long time to heal from a serious operation.
heal itself
1/hˈil ɪtsˈɛlf/
fixed phrase
recover without outside help
When a body or system gets better on its own, without medicine or other help.
Examples
- In many cases the body can heal itself.
- With less pollution, the river began to heal itself.
heal over
1/hˈil ˈoʊvɚ/
phrasal verb
new skin covers a wound
When new skin grows over a cut or injury.
Examples
- The cut has started to heal over, but it is still a little sore.
- After a week, the wound finally healed over.
heal the wounds of [something]
1/hˈil ðə wˈundz əv sˈʌmθɪŋ/
idiom
reduce damage caused by something
To help people or a group feel better and return to normal after a bad event.
Examples
- It will take years to heal the wounds of the civil war.
- The new policy aims to heal the wounds of past discrimination.
heal up
1/hˈil ˈʌp/
phrasal verb
for a wound to heal fully
When a cut or injury becomes fully better and closed.
Examples
- The doctor said the stitches should heal up in about ten days.
- Keep it clean and the cut will heal up nicely.
time heals all wounds
1/tˈaɪm hˈilz ˈɔl wˈundz/
idiom
idea that time reduces emotional pain
A saying that means emotional pain will feel less strong after enough time has passed.
Examples
- She told him that time heals all wounds and that one day he would feel better.
- People say time heals all wounds, but some losses never completely fade.
- He didn’t believe that time heals all wounds until he noticed he no longer thought about it every day.
time heals all wounds
2/tˈaɪm hˈilz ˈɔl wˈundz/
idiom
time reduces emotional pain
After some time, strong emotional pain usually feels less strong.
Examples
- He told her that time heals all wounds, but she did not believe it yet.
- People often say that time heals all wounds, even after very hard experiences.