head money


noun
  1. a tax of so much per head or person.

  2. a reward paid for capturing or killing an outlaw, fugitive, or the like.

Origin of head money

1
First recorded in 1520–30

Words Nearby head money

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use head money in a sentence

  • The wiser Chinese take Ferdinands and Josephs dollars alike, calling them both devils head money.

    Gatherings From Spain | Richard Ford

British Dictionary definitions for head money

head money

noun
  1. a reward paid for the capture or slaying of a fugitive, outlaw, etc

  2. an archaic term for poll tax

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