- present tense form of headquarter (3rd person singular).
headquarters
Americannoun
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a center of operations, as of the police or a business, from which orders are issued; the chief administrative office of an organization.
The operatives were always in touch with headquarters.
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the offices or working location of a military commander; the place from which a commander customarily issues orders.
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a military unit consisting of the commander, his staff, and other assistants.
plural noun
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any centre or building from which operations are directed, as in the military, the police, etc
-
a military formation comprising the commander, his staff, and supporting echelons
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of headquarters
Explanation
The main office of an organization is its headquarters. The headquarters of your favorite video game company might be in New York. Companies, clubs, and religious groups all have headquarters, or a central administrative location. Militaries also have headquarters, although the word has a slightly different meaning in that context — military headquarters are where commanders and their staffs live and work. The word has been around since the 1600's, from the "most important or principal" meaning of head and quarters, originally "military dwelling place," and later "lodgings."
Vocabulary lists containing headquarters
Superhero Lexicon
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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.
Ireland hosts the international headquarters of a number of large U.S. technology companies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
“I want to be a voice for Black residents in my district,” Ugarte said at his campaign headquarters on Avalon Boulevard.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
The piece was first shown at the Rainbow Sign, a community center in Berkeley that was located near the headquarters of the Black Panthers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
The headquarters of his business was based on the industrial site.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
She repeated it like a mantra, and it helped until they reached the headquarters and were escorted through a gated entrance to the building’s courtyard.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
