American Dictionary

Define dictionary terms easily in our powerful online English dictionary.

Searching for...

No matching words found

Try a different search term or browse the dictionary

Definition Achilles’ heel in American English

Achilles’ heel noun

[singular] noun
/əˈkɪliz ˌhil/

When the mythical Greek hero Achilles was a baby his mother dipped him in the River Styx to protect him from all injuries. But she held him by one heel which therefore was not protected. He was eventually killed by an arrow that hit his heel.

1

a weak feature of someone or something that is otherwise strong, which makes them open to attack or failure

Example

Michigan's defense has been their Achilles heel this entire season.

Example

Government debt is the Achilles' heel of their economy.

Synonyms and related words
Definition Achilles’ heel in American English