masthead

American  

[mast-hed, mahst-] / ˈmæstˌhɛd, ˈmɑst- /

noun

1. Also called flag.  a statement printed in all issues of a newspaper, magazine, or the like, usually on the editorial page, giving the publication's name, the names of the owner and staff, etc.

2. Also called nameplate.  a line of type on the front page of a newspaper or the cover of a periodical giving the name of the publication.

3. Nautical.

   1. the head of a mast.

   2. the uppermost point of a mast.

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verb (used with object)

Nautical.

1. to hoist a yard to the fullest extent.

2. to hoist to the truck of a mast, as a flag.

3. to send to the upper end of a mast as a punishment.

adjective

1. Nautical. run up to the head of a mast.

   masthead rig.

masthead British  

/ ˈmɑːstˌhɛd /

noun

1. nautical

   1. the head of a mast

   2. ( as modifier )

      masthead sail

2. Also called: flag.  the name of a newspaper or periodical, its proprietors, staff, etc, printed in large type at the top of the front page

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verb

1. to send (a sailor) to the masthead as a punishment

2. to raise (a sail) to the masthead

Etymology

Origin of masthead

First recorded in 1740–50; mast ¹ + head

Explanation

In publishing, a masthead is a list at the top of a page that includes the names of editors, writers, and owners, as well as the title of the newspaper or magazine. You'll usually find the masthead on one of the first few pages. In the UK, a masthead is slightly different: it's the title page, also known in the US as the "nameplate." American publications include editorial and ownership information on the masthead, while their British counterparts call this the "imprint." The sense of a masthead as the "top of a newspaper or magazine" comes from the word's original meaning, "top of a ship," from mast, "long pole that holds a ship's sail."

Example Sentences

More than a year after he bought the Times, Soon-Shiong met with masthead editors, discussing the paper’s plans over Chinese takeout.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

Even The National Herald, founded by India's first prime minister and Indira Gandhi's father Jawaharlal Nehru, quietly dropped its masthead slogan: "Freedom is in peril, defend it with all your might."

From BBC • Jun. 24, 2025

Even more humiliating for the storied masthead, the AI articles were riddled with errors.

From Salon • Sep. 21, 2024

So were the senior-most editors who make up the newspaper’s so-called masthead.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2023

He even begged a scrap of silk ribbon from a traveler for Robin to use as a pennant for the masthead.

From "The Door in the Wall" by Marguerite de Angeli