Roundhead

American

[round-hed] / ˈraʊndˌhɛd /

noun

English History.

a member or adherent of the Parliamentarians or Puritan party during the civil wars of the 17th century (so called in derision by the Cavaliers because they wore their hair cut short).

Roundhead British

/ ˈraʊndˌhɛd /

noun

English history a supporter of Parliament against Charles I during the Civil War Compare Cavalier

"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

Etymology

Origin of Roundhead

First recorded in 1635–45; round ¹ + head

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The different kinds of roosters had strange names such as Kelso, Roundhead and Johnny Jumper.

From The Guardian • Nov. 11, 2015

A Roundhead musket killed Royalist John Hussey, of Doddington Hall in Lincolnshire, while he was defending the town of Gainsborough in 1643.

From BBC • May 2, 2015

He has been climbing in the Blue Ridge�such peaks as Hawks Bill, Naked Top, Roundhead Ridge and his favored Old Rag�for 60 years.

From Time Magazine Archive

Richard Barthelmess appears a trifle more romantic than ever in round helmet and shiny breastplate�a Roundhead Captain in the forces of Oliver Cromwell.

From Time Magazine Archive

“Puritan? You mean a Roundhead? One of those traitors who murdered King Charles?”

From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023