headshot
Americannoun
-
a photograph of someone's face, especially a promotional photograph of a model, actor, or author.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of headshot
First recorded in 1935–40; head ( def. ) + shot 1 ( def. ) (in the sense “photograph”)
Vocabulary lists containing headshot
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.
See Examples For:
They affixed headshot cutouts of their parents from photos and placed them above paper cutouts of a wedding dress and a tuxedo.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Pickle has already starred in her own official team headshot and, in Cortina, was presented with canine-adapted kit.
From BBC ● Mar. 12, 2026
He started off by asking if anyone was hiring before whipping out a dated headshot and handing it off to Harrison Ford, asking the actor to pass it along to Steven Spielberg.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2025
Reeve wasn’t the producers’ first pick, but the size of the actor’s neck in a headshot made them reconsider, hoping he could build himself up to fighting shape.
From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2025
I must’ve left my headshot and resume at her place, last night, when this entire adventure scheme was hatched.
From "Better Nate Than Ever" by Tim Federle
By then, Domingo was ready to turn to his side hustle of taking headshots for other actors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 10, 2026
Her Instagram account, which is currently deactivated, featured a strangely homogenous series of headshots, all showing the gauzy, unreal lighting that's characteristic of AI image generators.
From BBC ● Jan. 16, 2026
In response to questions about Castle’s lawsuit, the Sheriff’s Department released a statement to The Times that said it is “deeply concerned” about the prospect of releasing thousands of deputy headshots.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2025
A family room features a wall covered with black-and-white headshots of movie stars, and a cloudlike light fixture floats above the marble and mirrored fireplace.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2025
The paper printed grainy headshots of people looking distinguished—like they were already thinking about their next outstanding contribution to the life and culture of the town.
From "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt
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.
