heading

American  

[hed-ing] / ˈhɛd ɪŋ /

noun

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

• nonheading
  noun

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

This suggests the Greens are heading for their best local election performance ever.

From BBC • May 8, 2026

What controversy will this year’s program hold, I wonder, heading into Day 2.

From Slate • May 8, 2026

Investor expectations were tempered heading into the earnings release.

From Barron's • May 7, 2026

Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces a stiff test on Thursday, with millions of British voters heading to the polls for local council and mayoral elections.

From Barron's • May 7, 2026

Yao was already heading out with the motor as others were holding bundled-up nets and fish traps.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo

Related Words

• route