loggerhead

[ law-ger-hed, log-er- ]

/ ˈlɔ gərˌhɛd, ˈlɒg ər- /

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See synonyms for: loggerhead / loggerheaded on Thesaurus.com

noun

a thick-headed or stupid person; blockhead.

loggerhead turtle.

loggerhead shrike.

a ball or bulb of iron with a long handle, used, after being heated, to melt tar, heat liquids, etc.

a rounded post, in the stern of a whaleboat, around which the harpoon line is passed.

a circular inkwell having a broad, flat base.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about loggerhead

at loggerheads, engaged in a disagreement or dispute; quarreling: They were at loggerheads over the distribution of funds.

Origin of loggerhead

1580–90; logger block of wood (first attested alone in 18th century) + head

OTHER WORDS FROM loggerhead

log·ger·head·ed, adjective

Words nearby loggerhead

logbook, log chip, loge, loggan stone, logger, loggerhead, loggerheads, loggerhead shrike, loggerhead turtle, loggets, loggia

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use loggerhead in a sentence

Although the countries are at systemic loggerheads, both want to manage their differences.
'A Wake-Up Call.' Pelosi's Visit to Taiwan Has Badly Damaged U.S.-China Relations, But Not Irreversibly|Amy Gunia/Hong Kong|August 5, 2022|Time
Should they do so, and if both parties remain at loggerheads, Twitter effectively washes its hands and sends the dispute to the courts.
Andy Ngô Sued for Allegedly Snatching Reporters’ Videos|Robert Silverman|December 10, 2021|The Daily Beast
That signals that Gorsuch and Alito weren’t fully at loggerheads with their fellow conservatives about the outcome in many close cases, though they still disagreed about some component of the majority opinion’s reasoning.
The Supreme Court’s Conservative Revolution Is Already Happening|Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux (Amelia.Thomson-DeVeaux@abc.com)|October 20, 2021|FiveThirtyEight
One conservation effort enforced by island residents — including hoteliers — is the Lights Out for Sea Turtles initiative, which requires that beach-illuminating lights be turned off in the evenings during loggerhead nesting season.
How South Carolina’s Kiawah Island strikes a balance between tourism and conservation|Hannah Selinger|October 8, 2021|Washington Post

The loggerhead lays three sets of eggs, each averaging one hundred and seventy.
In the Wilds of Florida|W.H.G. Kingston
It is not easy, even at a slight distance, to distinguish the loggerhead from the Northern shrike.
Bird Neighbors|Neltje Blanchan
Marry, that you are an ass and a loggerhead, to seek Master Pisaro's house here.
A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 10 (of 15)|Various
A pleasant smell arose from it; he waited till it foamed up, and then drew the loggerhead out.
Ben Comee|M. J. (Michael Joseph) Canavan
He soon had his charger in fair control, but the science of riding a big loggerhead turtle isn't picked up in a minute.
Dick in the Everglades|A. W. Dimock

British Dictionary definitions for loggerhead

loggerhead

/ (ˈlɒɡəˌhɛd) /

noun

Also called: loggerhead turtle a large-headed turtle, Caretta caretta, occurring in most seas: family Chelonidae

loggerhead shrike a North American shrike, Lanius ludovicianus, having a grey head and body, black-and-white wings and tail, and black facial stripe

a tool consisting of a large metal sphere attached to a long handle, used for warming liquids, melting tar, etc

a strong round upright post in a whaleboat for belaying the line of a harpoon

archaic, or dialect a blockhead; dunce

at loggerheads engaged in dispute or confrontation

Derived forms of loggerhead

loggerheaded, adjective

Word Origin for loggerhead

C16: probably from dialect logger wooden block + head

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

loggerhead

Idioms about loggerhead

Origin of loggerhead

OTHER WORDS FROM loggerhead

Words nearby loggerhead

Words related to loggerhead

How to use loggerhead in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for loggerhead

Derived forms of loggerhead

Word Origin for loggerhead