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

Aluminum could be heading toward $4,000 a ton in the next three months, with its most bullish set-up in over 50 years, according to Citigroup.

From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026

ServiceNow shares rose as much as 8% earlier Monday and were up 5% as of midday trading, heading for their third consecutive session of gains.

From MarketWatch • May 18, 2026

“Not particularly,” Jefferies analyst Akash Tewari wrote, adding that the result “largely validates the bear thesis heading into the data.”

From Barron's • May 18, 2026

These barrels so far this month are predominantly heading to Europe, including France, Belgium, the Netherlands and the U.K.,

From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026

I wanted nothing more than to skip the recap of my one-second failure and join the crowd heading home.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

Related Words

• route