English Reference

Word

heil

/ˈhaɪɫ/

Definition

n. a greeting used by members of the Nazi party. It is a German word that means 'health' or 'well-being'.

n. a greeting used by the Nazi Party, derived from the German word for 'health'. Often used in the context of historical or political discourse regarding 20th-century Germany.

Examples

“The film shows people shouting 'heil' during the parade.”

“Historians often study how the use of the 'heil' greeting helped to unify the party's members during the 1930s.”

“The documentary explores the psychological impact of the 'heil' salute on the German population, illustrating how such simple gestures can be weaponized to enforce ideological conformity.”

Examples

simple

“The film shows people shouting 'heil' during the parade.”

contextual

“Historians often study how the use of the 'heil' greeting helped to unify the party's members during the 1930s.”

complex

“The documentary explores the psychological impact of the 'heil' salute on the German population, illustrating how such simple gestures can be weaponized to enforce ideological conformity.”

Real-World Examples

“As well as a series of antisemitic remarks , Ye has drawn outrage through his embrace of Nazi imagery, even selling T-shirts bearing swastikas and releasing a song titled Heil Hitler.”
The Guardian · 18 Aug 2026

Etymology

Borrowed from German Heil. Doublet of whole, hail, and hale.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry

Level
C2 · Proficiency
Frequency
Occasional
Updated

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/heil

English Reference