Word
heed
US/ˈhid/
UK/hˈiːd/
Definitions
01to follow advice
C1 · Advanced Formal
v. to listen to a warning or piece of advice and do what it says.
v. to pay attention to a warning or advice and act upon it. Transitive — takes a direct object.
“The driver failed to heed the warning signs and drove into the flooded road.”
“Economists warned of a coming recession, but few politicians chose to heed their advice until the market actually crashed.”
02careful attention
C1 · Advanced Uncountable noun Literary · Formal
n. careful attention that you give to someone or something.
n. careful attention or notice. Uncountable; most commonly used in the fixed expression 'take heed'.
“You should take heed of what the doctor says about your diet.”
“The government paid little heed to the growing public outcry regarding the new tax legislation.”
Antonyms
Usage
The verb is transitive and takes a direct object; it is more formal than 'listen to' or 'follow'.
Pitfall
heed to the advice
heed the advice
Heed is a transitive verb and does not take the preposition 'to'.
Real-World Examples
“But this fire was a warning, and they need to heed it.” “Ukrainians appear to be heeding the advice of authorities.” Etymology
From Middle English heden, from Old English hēdan (“to heed, take care, observe, attend, guard, take charge, take possession, receive”), from Proto-West Germanic hōdijan (“to heed, guard”), from Proto-Indo-European kadʰ- (“to heed, protect”). Cognate with West Frisian hoedje (“to heed”), Dutch hoeden (“to heed”), German hüten (“to heed”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Idioms
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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