heads

American

[hedz] / hɛdz /

adjective

(of a coin) with the top, or obverse, facing up.

On the first toss, the coin came up heads.

heads British

/ hɛdz /

interjection

with the obverse side of a coin uppermost, esp if it has a head on it: used as a call before tossing a coin Compare tails
informal people in authority

"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

Etymology

Origin of heads

First recorded in 1675–85; head + -s ¹

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.

The tournament then heads north on Friday, with Canada facing Bosnia-Herzegovina in Toronto before the United States opens Group D play against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026

Oil analysts have been scratching their heads for months about why prices haven’t risen more.

From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026

Human soldiers have easily foiled AI systems by doing what is "out of the ordinary", like somersaulting or putting cardboard boxes over their heads, he adds.

From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026

We know that some of the ranking results will likely leave people shaking their heads.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026

What seems like it was once a stylish living room is cluttered with piles of Lego bricks, broken doll heads, and clumps of dried Play-Doh.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023