headless
Americanadjective
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without a head.
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having the head cut off; beheaded.
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having no leader or chief; leaderless.
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foolish; stupid.
a headless argument.
adjective
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without a head
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without a leader
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foolish or stupid
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prosody another word for catalectic
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of headless
before 1000; Middle English he ( ve ) dles, Old English hēafodlēas. See head, -less
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.
After a years-long investigation involving research, scientific testing and statements from now elderly witnesses, the headless statue arrived back in Turkey last year.
From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026
They’re most comfortable behaving like headless chickens running around looking for someone to blame.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 12, 2025
As Ambrose Pierce wrote, “Patriotism is as fierce as a fever, pitiless and the grave, blind as a stone and irrational as a headless man.”
From Salon • May 17, 2025
"I really love living here and I don't want to leave, because then I will just be running around like a headless chicken, looking for somewhere affordable," she says.
From BBC • Mar. 30, 2025
Or the fact that a headless cockroach can survive for more than two weeks.
From "Crenshaw" by Katherine Applegate
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.
