headquarters
[ hed-kwawr-terz, -kwaw- ]
/ ˈhɛdˌkwɔr tərz, -ˌkwɔ- /
noun, plural head·quar·ters. (used with a singular or plural verb)
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.
the offices or working location of a military commander; the place from which a commander customarily issues orders.
a military unit consisting of the commander, his staff, and other assistants.
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RELATED WORDS
Nearby words
- headphones,
- headpiece,
- headpin,
- headquarter,
- headquartered,
- headrace,
- headrail,
- headreach,
- headrest,
- headrig
Origin of headquarters
headquarter
[ hed-kwawr-ter, -kwaw- ]
/ ˈhɛdˌkwɔr tər, -ˌkwɔ- /
verb (used with object)
to situate in headquarters.
verb (used without object)
to establish one's headquarters.
Origin of headquarter
back formation from headquarters
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for headquarters
headquarters
/ (ˌhɛdˈkwɔːtəz) /
pl n (sometimes functioning as singular)
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
Abbreviations: HQ, h.q.
headquarter
/ (ˌhɛdˈkwɔːtə) /
verb
informal, mainly US to place in or establish as headquarters
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
headquarters
1640s, from head (adj.) + quarters. Headquarter as a verb is recorded from 1903.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper