heal /hiːl/ BrE AmE verb [intransitive and transitive]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: hælan ]
1 . ( also heal up ) if a wound or a broken bone heals or is healed, the flesh, skin, or bone grows back together and becomes healthy again:
It took three months for my arm to heal properly.
2 . to make someone who is ill become healthy again, especially by using natural powers or prayer ⇨ cure :
a preacher who claims that he can heal the sick
3 . to become mentally or emotionally strong again after a bad experience, or to help someone to do this:
The trauma of divorce can often be healed by successful remarriage.
4 . if an argument or disagreement between people heals or you heal it, the people stop arguing or disagreeing
heal the wounds/breach/division/rift
Our main goal must be to heal the divisions in our society.
The rift between the two younger men never healed.
heal over phrasal verb
if a wound or an area of broken skin heals over, new skin grows over it and it becomes healthy again
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ cure to make someone who has an illness completely well again or to stop a disease making someone ill - used especially about drugs or other treatments:
Many cancer victims can be cured if the disease is detected early enough.
▪ heal to cure someone - used especially when someone cures people using special religious powers, rather than using medicine. Also used when saying that a cream or treatment makes a wound better:
He claimed that he could heal the sick.
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This cream is good for healing minor cuts and bruises.
▪ make somebody (feel) better to make someone who is ill well again, especially when they have an illness that is not very serious:
The pills did make me feel better.
▪ relieve/ease ( also alleviate formal ) to reduce someone’s pain or unpleasant feelings:
Aspirin will help to relieve the symptoms.
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I can give you something to alleviate the pain.