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.

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

Excuse me, gentlemen, if I do the saphead act—by jinks!

From The Gates of Chance by Sutphen, Van Tassel

“Lower a boat, saphead, in a sea like this!” scoffed the first speaker.

From His Unknown Wife by Tracy, Louis

"Go over to that saphead there—d'you see it—an' see what thinking does."

From No Man's Land by McNeile, H. C. (Herman Cyril)

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