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Synonyms

headdress

American  
[hed-dres] / ˈhɛdˌdrɛs /

noun

  • headdresses
    plural
  1. a covering or decoration for the head.

    a tribal headdress of feathers.

  2. a style or manner of arranging the hair.


headdress British  
/ ˈhɛdˌdrɛs /

noun

  1. any head covering, esp an ornate one or one denoting a rank or occupation

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of headdress

First recorded in 1695–1705; head + dress

Vocabulary lists containing headdress

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.

See Examples For:

The sculpture depicts America as an indigenous female figure - holding a bow and arrow, and wearing a headdress.

From BBC Jul. 1, 2026

At the time, Ortiz sported a veritable headdress of 1980s rock ’n’ roll hair.

From Slate Apr. 6, 2026

Mathieu Deldicque, director of the Conde Museum, where the headdress will go on display, said the find was a "true miracle", stressing that all of its parts were well preserved.

From Barron's Mar. 26, 2026

A group of men pulled Rodrigues into a circle to adjust his headdress.

From The Wall Street Journal Dec. 8, 2025

She hadn’t taken off her headdress, even to cook, and now she sat forward and interlaced her fingers and watched us eat.

From "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan

The birds' plumage was used to decorate women's clothes and headdresses, while eggs were being taken for various reasons, including collectors.

From BBC Apr. 19, 2026

In 1886 an American naval ship brought statues, wooden carvings, feather headdresses and stone tools to the Smithsonian Institution.

From The Wall Street Journal Feb. 20, 2026

Their bodies were their canvases, which they bedecked in feather boas, tutus, corsets, Victorian petticoats, Edwardian frock coats, wigs, wings, headdresses, ribbons, sequins, rhinestones, satin, face paint and an abundance of glitter.

From New York Times Apr. 12, 2024

The outfits are made of colorful living material, including headdresses of tillandsia, or air plants, and tresses of huperzia, a tropical clubmoss.

From Seattle Times Feb. 21, 2024

On the front of the wardrobe somebody had painted a picture of Indians coming out of the woods, carrying bows and arrows, wearing warpaint and bright headdresses.

From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt

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