Synonyms

saphead

American

[sap-hed] / ˈsæpˌhɛd /

noun

Slang.

a simpleton; fool.

saphead ¹ British

/ ˈsæpˌhɛd /

noun

slang a simpleton, idiot, or fool

"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

saphead ² British

/ ˈsæpˌhɛd /

noun

military the end of a sap nearest to the enemy

"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

Other Word Forms

sapheaded

adjective

Etymology

Origin of saphead

First recorded in 1790–1800; sap ¹ + head

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.

See Examples For:

saphead

But Mr. Kellow is no saphead, and he makes objectivity a great virtue.

From New York Times ● Oct. 26, 2011

This kind of pitch, with its view of the consumer as saphead, is still afl too prevalent.

From Time Magazine Archive

He shook his head and cried vehemently: “What a saphead I’d be if I fell to that bait!”

From In the Heart of a Fool by William Allen White

Then there's a man in the squad who is more than a mere saphead.

From Dave Darrin's First Year at Annapolis by H. Irving (Harrie Irving) Hancock

Well thought o’, Jeremiah Rooke; ye’ve hed a hard life o’t lately; but ye’ll be a fool ef ye don’t live eezier for the future, a darned greenhorn o’ a saphead!

From The Fatal Cord And The Falcon Rover by Mayne Reid

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