headman

[ hed-muhn, -man ]
See synonyms for headman on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural head·men [hed-muhn, -men]. /ˈhɛd mən, -ˌmɛn/.
  1. a chief or leader.

Origin of headman

1
before 1000; Middle English he(ve)dman,Old English hēafodman.See head, man

Words Nearby headman

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use headman in a sentence

  • The district headman is the deputy of the tribal ward headman to whom he is immediately responsible.

    The Philippine Islands | John Foreman
  • We retraced our steps a few miles up the valley to a village ruled over by a friendly woman, the widow of the late headman.

    Mount Everest the Reconnaissance, 1921 | Charles Kenneth Howard-Bury
  • The people saw him and welcomed him back, making him their headman, and giving him the place of honor in their gatherings.

    A Treasury of Eskimo Tales | Clara Kern Bayliss
  • Orth'ris began rowlin' his eyes an' crackin' his fingers an' dancin' a step-dance for to impress the headman.

    Soldier Stories | Rudyard Kipling
  • The headman rolled his eye where Kim was chatting to a girl in blue as she laid crackling thorns on a fire.

    Kim | Rudyard Kipling

British Dictionary definitions for headman

headman

/ (ˈhɛdmən) /


nounplural -men
  1. anthropol a chief or leader

  2. a foreman or overseer

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012