Showing results for "heading"

• present participle of head.

heading

American  

[hed-ing] / ˈhɛd ɪŋ /

noun

headings plural

1. something that serves as a head, top, or front.

2. a title or caption of a page, chapter, etc.

3. a section of the subject of a discourse; a main division of a topic or theme.

4. the compass direction toward which a traveler or vehicle is or should be moving; course.

5. an active underground mining excavation in the earth, as a drift or raise being or about to be driven.

6. Aeronautics. the angle between the axis from front to rear of an aircraft and some reference line, as magnetic north.

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heading British  

/ ˈhɛdɪŋ /

noun

1. a title for a page, paragraph, chapter, etc

2. a main division, as of a lecture, speech, essay, etc

3. mining

   1. a horizontal tunnel

   2. the end of such a tunnel

4. the angle between the direction of an aircraft and a specified meridian, often due north

5. the compass direction parallel to the keel of a vessel

6. the act of heading

7. anything that serves as a head

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonheading
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• headings
  plural

Etymology

Origin of heading

First recorded in 1250–1300, heading is from the Middle English word hefding. See head, -ing ¹

Explanation

A heading is a word, phrase, or sentence at the beginning of a written passage that explains what it's about. A heading is very similar to a title. A heading is similar to a caption, a line below a photograph that briefly explains it. Headings show up at the top of paragraphs, chapters, or pages, and they give you an idea of what the subject is. You might write a heading for each chapter of your novel, or on each page of your French club newsletter. The 1300's meaning of heading was "beheading," and it wasn't until the late 1800's that it came to mean "title."

Example Sentences

Heading into the summer, the labor market faces questions about the number of people available to work and businesses’ appetite to hire more.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 3, 2026

Heading a football lasts a fraction of a second and rarely causes concussions, but it could also explain why some players develop dementia decades later.

From BBC • Jun. 27, 2026

Heading into the start of the conflict, the Thai economy was still in deflation in February, and headline inflation remains relatively contained, the economist said in a note.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 24, 2026

Heading into Tuesday’s session, SailPoint is down 12% this year and 10% over the past 12 months.

From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026

Heading to the kitchen, I poke my head into my bedroom and spy Keav shoving clothes into a brown plastic bag.

From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung

Related Words

• route