loggerhead

American  

[law-ger-hed, log-er-] / ˈlɔ gərˌhɛd, ˈlɒg ər- /

noun

1. a thick-headed or stupid person; blockhead.

2. loggerhead turtle.

3. loggerhead shrike.

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

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

6. a circular inkwell having a broad, flat base.

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idioms

1. at loggerheads, engaged in a disagreement or dispute; quarreling.

   They were at loggerheads over the distribution of funds.

loggerhead British  

/ ˈlɒɡəˌhɛd /

noun

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

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

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

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

5. archaic a blockhead; dunce

6. engaged in dispute or confrontation

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Other Word Forms

• loggerheaded adjective

Etymology

Origin of loggerhead

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

Example Sentences

For example, non-native feral hogs are now major predators of loggerhead sea turtle eggs along the Georgia coast, USA, while coyotes in eastern North America are expanding onto coastal barrier islands, altering those ecosystems.

From Science Daily • Feb. 8, 2026

Crush, a loggerhead turtle, was given life-saving treatment at New Era Veterinary Hospital in St Saviour, Jersey, after she was found extremely weak and suffering from malnutrition.

From BBC • Feb. 8, 2026

An estimated 25 bird species, including ladder-backed woodpeckers, loggerhead shrikes and western screech owls, nest in their trunks and branches.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 28, 2024

An injured loggerhead sea turtle has been released back into the wild.

From BBC • Sep. 17, 2024

Another loggerhead turtle surfaced in the chop off the beach.

From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen

Related Words

• tortoise