definitions

headrest

[ hed-rest ]
/ ˈhɛdˌrɛst /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR headrest ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a rest or support of any kind for the head.
Also called head restraint. a padded part at the top of the back of a seat, especially in an automobile, to protect one's head against whiplash in a collision.

RELATED WORDS

padding, cushion, buffer, mat, bolster, hassock, fender, rest, seat, sham, beanbag, squab, bumper, woolsack

Nearby words

headquartered, headquarters, headrace, headrail, headreach, headrest, headrig, headright, headroom, heads, heads or tails

Origin of headrest

First recorded in 1850–55; head + rest1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for headrest

  • He sat down in his chair, laid his head back in the headrest and pulled the helmet down over his forehead.

    The Game of Rat and Dragon|Cordwainer Smith

  • He was hurled back against the headrest with a force that filled his head with winking stars.

    Dave Dawson at Casablanca|Robert Sydney Bowen

  • Feather pillows and beds took the place of straw pallets with a log of wood for a headrest.

    Women of England, Volume 9 (of 10)|Burleigh James Bartlett

  • Eugene put his hand on ol man Dorts forehead an pushed him back into the headrest.

    Friar Tuck|Robert Alexander Wason

British Dictionary definitions for headrest

headrest

/ (ˈhɛdˌrɛst) /

noun

a support for the head, as on a dentist's chair or car seat
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