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• head
  head

  noun

  the upper part of the body in humans, joined to the torso by the neck and containing the brain, eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.
• Head
  Head

  noun

  Edith, 1897–1981, U.S. costume designer.
• -head
  -head

  a native English suffix meaning “state of being” (godhead; maidenhead ), occurring in words now mostly archaic or obsolete, many being superseded by forms in -hood.

head

¹ American  

[hed] / hɛd /

noun

• heads
  plural

1. the upper part of the body in humans, joined to the torso by the neck and containing the brain, eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.

   Antonyms:

   foot

2. the upper part of the body in animals, often joined to the torso by the neck and containing the brain, eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.

3. the head considered as the center of the intellect, as of thought, memory, understanding, or emotional control; mind; brain.

   She has a good head for mathematics.

   Keep a cool head in an emergency.

4. the position or place of leadership, greatest authority, or honor.

5. a person to whom others are subordinate, as the director of an institution or the manager of a department; leader or chief.

   Synonyms:

   chairperson, president, superintendent, principal, boss, superior, commander

6. a person considered with reference to their mind, disposition, attributes, status, etc..

   wise heads;

   crowned heads.

7. that part of anything that forms or is regarded as forming the top, summit, or upper end.

   head of a pin;

   head of a page.

8. the foremost part or front end of anything or a forward projecting part.

   head of a procession.

9. the part of a weapon, tool, etc., used for striking.

   the head of a hammer.

10. a person or animal considered merely as one of a number, herd, or group.

    ten head of cattle;

    a dinner at $20 a head.

11. a culminating point, usually of a critical nature; crisis or climax.

    to bring matters to a head.

12. the hair covering the head.

    to wash one's head.

13. froth or foam at the top of a liquid.

    the head on beer.

14. Botany.

    1. any dense flower cluster or inflorescence.

    2. any other compact part of a plant, usually at the top of the stem, as that composed of leaves in the cabbage or lettuce, of leafstalks in the celery, or of flower buds in the cauliflower.

15. the maturated part of an abscess, boil, etc.

16. a projecting point of a coast, especially when high, as a cape, headland, or promontory.

17. the obverse of a coin, as bearing a head or other principal figure (opposed to tail).

18. one of the chief parts or points of a written or oral discourse; a main division of a subject, theme, or topic.

19. something resembling a head in form or a representation of a head, as a piece of sculpture.

20. the source of a river or stream.

21. Slang.

    1. a habitual user of a drug, especially LSD or marijuana (often used in combination).

       the feds versus the heads; an acid-head; a meth head; a pothead.

    2. a fan or devotee (usually used in combination).

       a punk-rock head.

22. Distilling. heads, alcohol produced during the initial fermentation.

23. headline.

24. a toilet or lavatory, especially on a boat or ship.

25. Nautical.

    1. the forepart of a vessel; bow.

    2. the upper edge of a quadrilateral sail.

    3. the upper corner of a jib-headed sail.

    4. that part of the upper end of one spar of a mast that is overlapped by a spar above; a doubling at the upper end of a spar.

    5. that part of the upper end of a mast between the highest standing rigging and the truck.

    6. crown.

26. Grammar.

    1. the member of an endocentric construction that belongs to the same form class and may play the same grammatical role as the construction itself.

    2. the member upon which another depends and to which it is subordinate: in former presidents, presidents is head and former is modifier.

27. the stretched membrane covering the end of a drum or similar musical instrument.

28. Mining. a level or road driven into solid coal for proving or working a mine.

29. Machinery. any of various devices on machine tools for holding, moving, indexing, or changing tools or work, as the headstock or turret of a lathe.

30. Railroads. railhead.

31. (loosely) the pressure exerted by confined fluid.

    a head of steam.

32. Also called pressure head.  Hydraulics.

    1. the vertical distance between two points in a liquid, as water, or some other fluid.

    2. the pressure differential resulting from this separation, expressed in terms of the vertical distance between the points.

    3. the pressure of a fluid expressed in terms of the height of a column of liquid yielding an equivalent pressure.

33. Also called magnetic head.  Electronics. the part or parts of a tape recorder that record, play back, or erase magnetic signals on magnetic tape.

34. Computers. read/write head.

35. Photography.

    1. a mounting for a camera, as on a tripod.

    2. the part of an enlarger that contains the light source, negative carrier, lensboard, and lens.

36. Slang: Vulgar. fellatio or cunnilingus.

37. Archaic. power, strength, or force progressively gathered or gradually attained.

38. Informal. heads up! be careful! watch out for danger!

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adjective

1. first in rank or position; chief; leading; principal.

   a head official.

   Synonyms:

   main, supreme, foremost, cardinal

   Antonyms:

   subordinate

2. of, relating to, or for the head (often used in combination).

   head covering;

   headgear;

   headpiece.

3. situated at the top, front, or head of anything (often used in combination).

   headline;

   headboard.

4. moving or coming from a direction in front of the head or prow of a vessel.

   head sea;

   head tide;

   head current.

5. Slang. of or relating to drugs, drug paraphernalia, or drug users.

verb (used with object)

• heads,
  present (3rd person singular)
• headed,
  past participle,  past
• heading
  present participle

1. to go at the head of or in front of; lead; precede.

   to head a list.

2. to outdo or excel; take the lead in or over.

   to head a race;

   to head one's competitors in a field.

   Synonyms:

   beat, surpass

3. to be the head or chief of (sometimes followed byup ): to head up a department.

   to head a school;

   to head up a department.

   Synonyms:

   govern, rule, command, direct

4. to direct the course of; turn the head or front of in a specified direction.

   I'll head the boat for the shore. Head me in the right direction and I'll walk to the store.

5. to go around the head of (a stream).

6. to furnish or fit with a head.

7. to take the head off; decapitate; behead.

8. to remove the upper branches of (a tree).

9. Fox Hunting. to turn aside (a fox) from its intended course.

10. to get in front of in order to stop, turn aside, attack, etc.

11. headline.

12. Soccer. to propel (the ball) by striking it with the head, especially with the forehead.

verb (used without object)

• heads,
  present (3rd person singular)
• headed,
  past participle,  past
• heading
  present participle

1. to move forward toward a point specified; direct one's course; go in a certain direction.

   to head toward town.

2. to come or grow to a head; form a head.

   Cabbage heads quickly.

3. (of a river or stream) to have the head or source where specified.

verb phrase

1. head off to go before in order to hinder the progress of; intercept.

   The police headed off the fleeing driver at a railroad crossing.

idioms

1. over someone's head, to appeal to someone having a superior position or prior claim.

   She went over her supervisor's head and complained to a vice president.

2. hang one's head, to become dejected or ashamed: Also hide one's head.

   When he realized what an unkind thing he had done, he hung his head in shame.

3. lay / put heads together, to meet in order to discuss, consult, or scheme.

   Neither of them had enough money for a tour of Europe, so they put their heads together and decided to find jobs there.

4. head and shoulders,

   1. far better, more qualified, etc.; superior.

      In intelligence, he was head and shoulders above the rest of the children in the class.

   2. Archaic. by force.

5. head to head, in direct opposition or competition.

   The candidates will debate head to head.

6. over one's head,

   1. beyond one's comprehension, ability, or resources.

      The classical allusion went right over his head.

   2. beyond one's financial resources or ability to pay.

      He's losing over his head in that poker game.

7. make heads roll, to exert authority by firing or dismissing employees or subordinates.

   He made heads roll as soon as he took office.

8. off the top of one's head, candidly or extemporaneously.

   Off the top of my head, I'd say that's right.

9. (down) by the head, loaded so as to draw more water forward than aft.

10. make head, to progress or advance, especially despite opposition; make headway.

    There have been many delays, but we are at last making head.

11. lose one's head, to become uncontrolled or wildly excited.

    When he thought he saw an animal in the underbrush, he lost his head and began shooting recklessly.

12. give someone his / her head, to permit someone to do as they like; allow someone freedom of choice.

    She wanted to go away to college, and her parents gave her her head.

13. head over heels,

    1. headlong, as in a somersault.

       He tripped and fell head over heels into the gully.

    2. intensely; completely.

       head over heels in love.

    3. impulsively; carelessly.

       They plunged head over heels into the fighting.

14. rear its (ugly) head, (of something undesirable) to emerge or make an appearance, especially after being hidden.

    Jealousy reared its ugly head and destroyed their relationship.

15. take it into one's head, to form a notion, purpose, or plan: Also take into one's head.

    She took it into her head to study medicine.

16. keep one's head above water, to remain financially solvent.

    Despite their debts, they are managing to keep their heads above water.

17. one's head off, extremely; excessively.

    We screamed our heads off at that horror movie.

    He laughed his head off at the monkey's antics.

18. get one's head together, to have one's actions, thoughts, or emotions under control or in order.

    If he'd get his head together, maybe he'd get to work on time.

19. not make head or tail of, to be unable to understand or decipher: Also not make heads or tails of.

    We couldn't make head or tail of the strange story.

20. on one's head, as one's responsibility or fault.

    Because of his reckless driving he now has the deaths of three persons on his head.

21. keep one's head, to remain calm or poised, as in the midst of crisis or confusion.

    It was fortunate that someone kept his head and called a doctor.

22. pull one's head in, to keep quiet or mind one's own business; shut up.

23. give head, to perform fellatio or cunnilingus.

24. have one’s head screwed on right / straight, to be sensible or rational: Also have one’s head on rightstraight

    It seems like these young people have their heads screwed on right and that our future is in great hands.

25. come to a head,

    1. to suppurate, as a boil.

    2. to reach a crisis; culminate.

       The struggle for power came to a head.

26. turn someone's head,

    1. to cause someone to become smug or conceited.

       Her recent success has completely turned her head.

    2. to cause one to become foolish or confused.

       A whirlwind romance has quite turned his head.

27. go to someone's head,

    1. to make someone dizzy or drunk; overcome one with excitement.

       Power went to his head. The brandy went to his head.

    2. to make someone conceited or self-important.

       Success went to his head.

28. out of one's head / mind,

    1. insane; crazy.

    2. Informal. delirious; irrational.

       You're out of your head if you accept those terms.

Head ² American  

[hed] / hɛd /

noun

1. Edith, 1897–1981, U.S. costume designer.

---

-head ³ American  

1. a native English suffix meaning “state of being” (godhead; maidenhead ), occurring in words now mostly archaic or obsolete, many being superseded by forms in -hood.

---

head ¹ British  

/ hɛd /

noun

1. the upper or front part of the body in vertebrates, including man, that contains and protects the brain, eyes, mouth, and nose and ears when present

2. the corresponding part of an invertebrate animal

3. something resembling a head in form or function, such as the top of a tool

4. 1. the person commanding most authority within a group, organization, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      head buyer

   3. ( in combination )

      headmaster

5. the position of leadership or command

   at the head of his class

6. 1. the most forward part of a thing; a part that juts out; front

      the head of a queue

   2. ( as modifier )

      head point

7. the highest part of a thing; upper end

   the head of the pass

8. the froth on the top of a glass of beer

9. aptitude, intelligence, and emotions (esp in the phrases above or over one's head, have a head for, keep one's head, lose one's head, etc)

   she has a good head for figures

   a wise old head

10. a person or animal considered as a unit

    the show was two pounds per head

    six hundred head of cattle

11. the head considered as a measure of length or height

    he's a head taller than his mother

12. botany

    1. a dense inflorescence such as that of the daisy and other composite plants

    2. any other compact terminal part of a plant, such as the leaves of a cabbage or lettuce

13. a culmination or crisis (esp in the phrase bring or come to a head )

14. the pus-filled tip or central part of a pimple, boil, etc

15. the head considered as the part of the body on which hair grows densely

    a fine head of hair

16. the source or origin of a river or stream

17. (capital when part of name) a headland or promontory, esp a high one

18. the obverse of a coin, usually bearing a portrait of the head or a full figure of a monarch, deity, etc Compare tail 1

19. a main point or division of an argument, discourse, etc

20. (often plural) the headline at the top of a newspaper article or the heading of a section within an article

21. nautical

    1. the front part of a ship or boat

    2. (in sailing ships) the upper corner or edge of a sail

    3. the top of any spar or derrick

    4. any vertical timber cut to shape

    5. (often plural) a slang word for lavatory

22. grammar another word for governor

23. the taut membrane of a drum, tambourine, etc

24. 1. the height of the surface of liquid above a specific point, esp when considered or used as a measure of the pressure at that point

       a head of four feet

    2. pressure of water, caused by height or velocity, measured in terms of a vertical column of water

    3. any pressure

       a head of steam in the boiler

25. slang

    1. a person who regularly takes drugs, esp LSD or cannabis

    2. ( in combination )

       an acidhead

       a pothead

26. mining a road driven into the coal face

27. 1. the terminal point of a route

    2. ( in combination )

       railhead

28. a device on a turning or boring machine, such as a lathe, that is equipped with one or more cutting tools held to the work by this device

29. See cylinder head

30. an electromagnet that can read, write, or erase information on a magnetic medium such as a magnetic tape, disk, or drum, used in computers, tape recorders, etc

31. informal short for headmaster headmistress

32. 1. the head of a horse considered as a narrow margin in the outcome of a race (in the phrase win by a head )

    2. any narrow margin of victory (in the phrase ( win ) by a head )

33. informal short for headache

34. curling the stones lying in the house after all 16 have been played

35. bowls the jack and the bowls that have been played considered together as a target area

36. rugby from the opposing side's put-in to the scrum

37. to speak sharply and angrily to someone

38. 1. to bring or be brought to a crisis

       matters came to a head

    2. (of a boil) to cause to be or be about to burst

39. to come to believe (an idea, esp a whimsical one)

    he got it into his head that the earth was flat

40. slang to perform fellatio

41. to allow a person greater freedom or responsibility

42. to allow a horse to gallop by lengthening the reins

43. 1. to make one dizzy or confused, as might an alcoholic drink

    2. to make one conceited

       his success has gone to his head

44. greatly superior to

45. 1. turning a complete somersault

    2. completely; utterly (esp in the phrase head over heels in love )

46. to be unashamed

47. to remain calm

48. to manage to survive a difficult experience

49. to make progress

50. (used with a negative) to attempt to understand (a problem, etc)

    he couldn't make head or tail of the case

51. slang insane or delirious

52. without previous thought; impromptu

53. at one's (own) risk or responsibility

54. slang loudly or excessively

    the baby cried its head off

55. 1. without a person in the obvious position being considered, esp for promotion

       the graduate was promoted over the heads of several of his seniors

    2. without consulting a person in the obvious position but referring to a higher authority

       in making his complaint he went straight to the director, over the head of his immediate boss

    3. beyond a person's comprehension

56. informal to consult together

57. to conceive a notion, desire, or wish (to do something)

58. to be so beautiful, unusual, or impressive as to attract a lot of attention

59. to treat or present something in a completely new and different way

    health care which has turned orthodox medicine on its head

60. to make someone vain, conceited, etc

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verb

1. (tr) to be at the front or top of

   to head the field

2. to be in the commanding or most important position

3. (often foll by for) to go or cause to go (towards)

   where are you heading?

4. to turn or steer (a vessel) as specified

   to head into the wind

5. soccer to propel (the ball) by striking it with the head

6. (tr) to provide with or be a head or heading

   to head a letter

   the quotation which heads chapter 6

7. (tr) to cut the top branches or shoots off (a tree or plant)

8. (intr) to form a head, as a boil or plant

9. (of streams, rivers, etc) to originate or rise in

10. to toss the coins in a game of two-up

-head ² British  

combining form

1. indicating a person having a preoccupation as specified

   breadhead

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Head ³ British  

/ hɛd /

noun

1. Edith. 1907–81, US dress designer: won many Oscars for her Hollywood film costume designs

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head More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing head

• beat into someone's head
• beat one's head against the wall
• big head
• bite someone's head off
• bring to a head
• can't make head or tail of
• count noses (heads)
• do blindfolded (standing on one's head)
• enter one's mind (head)
• eyes in the back of one's head
• from head to toe
• get into one's head
• get one's head examined
• get through one's head
• give someone his or her head
• go to one's head
• good head on one's shoulders
• hang one's head
• hang over (one's head)
• have a head for
• have a screw loose (head screwed on right)
• hide one's head
• hide one's head in the sand
• hit the nail on the head
• hold a gun to someone's head
• hold one's head high
• in over one's head
• keep one's head
• laugh one's head off
• like a chicken with its head cut off
• lose one's head
• make one's head spin
• need like a hole in the head
• not right in the head
• off one's head
• off the top of one's head
• on one's head
• on the block (put one's head)
• over one's head
• price on one's head
• put ideas in someone's head
• put our heads together
• rear its ugly head
• rocks in one's head
• roof over one's head
• scratch one's head
• shake one's head
• soft in the head
• swelled head
• talk someone's arm (head) off
• throw oneself (at someone's head)
• touched in the head
• trouble one's head
• turn one's head
• upside the head
• use one's head

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Usage

What does -head mean? The suffix -head has two distinct senses. The first of these senses is "a state of being." It is used rarely, typically in archaic or obscure terms. The suffix -head comes from Old English -hǣdu, roughly meaning “manner.”Many terms, such as barehead, use the second sense of -head: literally, "head," as in the part of the body. This usage is particularly found in insults, such as knucklehead. What are variants of -head?While not technically a variant of -head, the related suffix -hood, as in childhood, is more commonly used and similarly denotes a state of being.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• multihead
  noun
• headlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• heads
  plural

Participles

• heading
  present
• headed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• head
  simple
• heads
  simple
• have headed
  perfect
• has headed
  perfect
• am heading
  progressive
• are heading
  progressive
• is heading
  progressive
• have been heading
  perfect progressive
• has been heading
  perfect progressive

Past

• headed
  simple
• had headed
  perfect
• was heading
  progressive
• were heading
  progressive
• had been heading
  perfect progressive

Future

• will head
  simple
• will have headed
  perfect
• will be heading
  progressive
• will have been heading
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of head¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English he(v)ed, Old English hēafod; cognate with Old High German houbit, Gothic haubith; akin to Old English hafud- (in hafudland “headland”), Old Norse hǫfuth, Latin caput ( see capital ¹)

Origin of -head³

Middle English -hede, Old English *-hǣdu, feminine of -hād -hood

Explanation

On a human body, the head is the part with your skull, brain, eyes, ears, and mouth. Nod your head if you understand which part of your body includes your head. In music, the head of a drum is a membrane that stretches over the drum's shell. When you strike the head with sticks or brushes, you can create rhythms. A person who is in charge of a group of people is also called a head. The principal is the head of the school. As a verb, head can also mean to be in charge of or to move in a particular direction.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

head Head -head heads headed heading

Walter is now racing to sell or unwind many of those undisclosed loans to head off ratings downgrades that would scare off policy buyers, the Journal reported.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

The Spanish head coach has admitted during this time the youngster has spent more time "working and not playing".

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

Disney’s 2000 sports drama was based on the real story of Herman Boone, a Black football coach who was installed as head coach at the desegregated T.C.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

The most likely outcome is that this set of tariffs ”will be delayed or canceled before the Aug. 19 deadline,” said Tobin Marcus, head of U.S. policy and politics at Wolfe Research, in a note.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026

As we head farther north, there might be snow and ice.

From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Sebastian Achim was part of a crew tagging sharks for research off Ram Head, Ardmore, when the incident happened on Tuesday.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

Appeared in the August 11, 2026, print edition as 'A Welcome Restart for Head Start'.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

Head Start began as part of Lyndon Johnson’s war on poverty.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

Head coach Michael Carrick told Norwegian broadcaster VG post-match that Mount had come off as a precaution after taking a hefty blow to his foot.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

‘Is he being rude?’ the Head of the Air Force said.

From "The BFG" by Roald Dahl

But you may care to pick your own -head prefix, obviously.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 13, 2013

As a local suffix -head appears to mean top-end and is generally shortened to -ett, e.g.

From The Romance of Names by Ernest Weekley

In fact, of course, the chances of a coin coming up heads are 50% with each flip, and they have nothing to do with how many heads or tails came in prior flips.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026

People line up and turn toward one another in pairs to salsa dance, then shift to breakdancing, spinning on their heads and flipping.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

Most recently, the war is pulling away a key American warship, as the Pacific-based aircraft carrier USS George Washington heads toward the Middle East to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

The spacecraft will also observe Demios, the other of Mars' moons -- but without landing -- before a return capsule heads back to Earth to land in Australia in around 2031.

From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026

But as I watched the security officers walk beside us, their heads on a swivel as though someone was lurking behind every tree or bush, I knew this was for real.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

Clearly on a home-run trajectory, it was headed toward the visitor’s bullpen.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

Once the viewer understands where Refn is headed, they can submit themselves to his grotesque neon visions.

From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026

Even with near-certainty about where markets are headed, what I would tell those two investors is entirely different.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026

The women headed to dinner at one of Ibiza’s hippy markets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

We headed to the alley at the back of the shop, keeping a respectable distance between us.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

The truck driver had been heading for Germany.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

But after such a strong stretch, some on Wall Street anticipate that stocks could be heading for a lost decade.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026

Triple-A manager Ben Johnson saw the first two homers live with some of his players before heading out to the field for batting practice.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

Authorities described the conditions Sunday as still "challenging", but two of the fire fronts -- heading towards the localities of Jalhay and Monschau -- were now "under control", according to Interior Minister Bernard Quintin.

From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026

He took a deep breath and started to run again, more steadily this time, heading north.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

Related Words

• chief
• commander
• director
• executive
• manager
• officer
• superintendent