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 bill passed the state Senate last week with bipartisan support and now heads to the Assembly.

From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026

No wonder a few heads were bowed when players and staff trudged towards the away end at full-time following a 2-0 loss.

From BBC • May 27, 2026

Step into your local supermarket, and you may find that those ordinarily humble broccoli bunches or cauliflower heads now carry higher price tags.

From Salon • May 27, 2026

Dr. Benedikt Amman, who heads the research center at Barcelona’s Hospital del Mar, has pioneered studies showing that untreated trauma can have a “global” effect on health.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026

But as I watched the security officers walk beside us, their heads on a swivel as though someone was lurking behind every tree or bush, I knew this was for real.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

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