headship

American  

[hed-ship] / ˈhɛd ʃɪp /

noun

1. the position of head or chief; chief authority; leadership; supremacy.

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headship British  

/ ˈhɛdʃɪp /

noun

1. the position or state of being a leader; command; leadership

2. education the position of headmaster or headmistress of a school

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Etymology

Origin of headship

First recorded in 1575–85; head + -ship

Example Sentences

It was not immediately clear whether Lam had succeeded in his goal of securing the national presidency -- seen as the second most powerful position in Vietnamese politics -- as well as the party headship.

From Barron's • Jan. 23, 2026

Royal historian Ed Owens said the 73-year-old heir to the British throne may find that “on taking over the headship of the Commonwealth, he finds himself in charge of a rapidly disintegrating organization.”

From Seattle Times • Jun. 22, 2022

In a Twitter thread Wednesday, Moore took aim at complementarianism, the 20th century theological framework that argues men and women were created for different roles and that effectively champions male headship and female submission.

From Washington Post • Apr. 7, 2021

"Taking up a headship in a challenging school with a poor Ofsted judgement is seen as a career risk because failure to improve the school quickly may be seen as failure," it says.

From BBC • Jan. 26, 2016

The first revised constitution of the Kuomintang provided for his life-time headship; the second stipulated that the post of Tsung Li should never be filled by any other person.

From The Political Doctrines of Sun Yat-sen: An Exposition of the San Min Chu I by Linebarger, Paul Myron Anthony