head

noun

\ ˈhed

Definition of head

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : the upper or anterior division of the animal body that contains the brain, the chief sense organs, and the mouth nodded his head in agreement

2a : the seat of the intellect : mind two heads are better than one

b : a person with respect to mental qualities let wiser heads prevail

c : natural aptitude or talent a good head for figures

d : mental or emotional control : poise a level head

e : headache

3 : the obverse (see obverse entry 2 sense 1) of a coin —usually used in plural call heads or tails

4a : person, individual count heads

b plural head : one of a number (as of domestic animals) sold twenty head of cattle

5a : the end that is upper or higher or opposite the foot the head of the table head of a sail

b : the source of a stream or river the head of the Nile

c : either end of something (such as a drum) whose two ends need not be distinguished

6 : director, leader: such as

a : headmaster

b : one in charge of a division or department in an office or institution the head of the English department met with the other department heads

7a : capitulum sense 2

b : the foliaged part of a plant especially when consisting of a compact mass of leaves, flowers, or fruit a head of lettuce a single head of grain

8a : the leading element of a military column or a procession

b : headway often she had to fight for her head as the press of sail buried her bow— C. V. Reilly

9a : the uppermost extremity or projecting part of an object : top the head of a bolt

b : the striking part of a weapon, tool, or implement the head of an ax

c : the rounded proximal end of a long bone (such as the humerus)

d : the end of a muscle nearest the origin

e : the oval part of a printed musical note

10a : a body of water kept in reserve at a height also : the containing bank, dam, or wall

b : a mass of water in motion (as in a rip current)

11a : the difference in elevation between two points in a body of fluid

b : the resulting pressure of the fluid at the lower point expressible as this height broadly : pressure of a fluid an engine with a full head of steam

12a : the bow and adjacent parts of a ship

b : a ship's toilet broadly : toilet sense 1

13 : the approximate length of the head of a horse won by a head

14 : the place of leadership, honor, or command at the head of her class

15a(1) : a word or series of words often in larger letters placed at the beginning of a passage or at the top of a page in order to introduce or categorize

(2) : a separate part or topic heads of a sermon

b : a portion of a page or sheet that is above the first line of printing

16 : the foam or scum that rises on a fermenting or effervescing liquid (such as beer)

17a : the part of a boil, pimple, or abscess at which it is likely to break

b : culminating point of action : crisis events came to a head

18a : a part or attachment of a machine or machine tool containing a device (such as a cutter or drill) turret head of a lathe also : the part of an apparatus that performs the chief function or a particular function a drill head

b magnetic recording : an electromagnet used as a transducer for recording on, reading, or erasing a magnetic medium (such as tape or a disk)

19 grammar : an immediate constituent of a construction that can have the same grammatical function as the whole (such as man in "an old man," "a very old man," or "the man in the street")

20a : one who uses a drug —often used in combination pothead

b : a devoted enthusiast : aficionado —often used in combination computerhead

21 usually vulgar : fellatio, cunnilingus —usually used with give

by the head

: drawing the greater depth of water forward

off one's head

: crazy, distracted

out of one's head

: delirious Her parents were out of their heads with worry.

over one's head

1 : beyond one's comprehension or competence the most awful intellectual detail, all of it over my head— E. B. White

2 : so as to pass over one's superior standing or authority went over my head to complain

head

adjective

Definition of head (Entry 2 of 3)

1 : of, relating to, or intended for the upper or anterior division of the animal body that contains the brain, the chief sense organs, and the mouth : of, relating to, or intended for the head (see head entry 1 sense 1) head injuries

2 : principal, chief head cook

3 : located at the end that is upper or higher : situated at the head (see head entry 1 sense 5a) head sails

4 : coming from in front head sea

head

verb

headed; heading; heads

Definition of head (Entry 3 of 3)

transitive verb

1 : behead

2a : to put the striking part of a weapon, tool, or implement on : fit a head (see head entry 1 sense 9b) to head an arrow

b : to form the uppermost extremity or projecting part of : to form the head or top of tower headed by a spire

3 : to act as leader or director of : to act as head (see head entry 1 sense 6) to head a revolt

4a : to get in front of so as to hinder, stop, or turn back head a herd of cattle

b : to take a lead over (as in a race) : surpass

c : to pass (a stream) by going round above the source

5a : to place something at the beginning or top of (something) in order to introduce or categorize : to put something at the head of (something, as a list) Each page was headed with the writer's name.

b : to stand as the first or leading member of heads the list of heroes

6 : to set the course of head a ship northward

7 : to hit and propel (something, such as a soccer ball) with the head (see head entry 1 sense 1) headed the ball into the goal

intransitive verb

1 : to form a compact mass of leaves or fruit : to form a head (see head entry 1 sense 7b) This type of cabbage heads early.

2 : to point or proceed in a certain direction headed south

3 : to have a source : originate The river heads in those mountains.

Other Words from head Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about head

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Synonyms for head

Synonyms: Noun

bean, block [slang], dome, mazard (or mazzard) [chiefly dialect], nob, noddle, noggin, noodle, nut [slang], pate, poll

Synonyms: Adjective

chief, commanding, first, foremost, high, lead, leading, preeminent, premier, presiding, primary, prime, principal, supereminent, supreme, top

Synonyms: Verb

bear, make

Examples of head in a Sentence

Noun

She patted the dog on the head. He nodded his head in agreement. The ceiling's low—watch your head!

Adjective

as head editor at the TV station for 17 years, he has hired and fired innumerable staff members

Verb

The group was headed by the church pastor. He was accused of heading the revolt. I hopped in the car and headed down the street. After lunch, we headed back to the office. She headed out early this morning. The birds have already started heading south for the winter. The forward headed the ball into the goal.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

There's always one shot that leaves a golfer shaking his or her head. — Mike Hutton, Post-Tribune, "Crown Point's Yianni Kostouros keeps momentum going in Northern Amateur," 19 July 2017 Delimitros said one of the truck’s side view mirrors struck her in the head, causing minor injuries. — David Hernandez, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Police: Pickup driver deliberately hits traffic controller near Convention Center," 19 July 2017 Cal Fire representatives said the current parking mess has already impacted them because the driveway to their station enters the highway not far from the trail head. — J. Harry Jones, Ramona Sentinel, "Groups brainstorm solutions to Mt. Woodson parking," 19 July 2017 Now, Maineri heads into year 12 with 18 pitchers on his roster, hoping that rising junior Caleb Gilbert and sophomore-to-be Zach Hess will emerge at the top of the pitching rotation. — John Roach, NOLA.com, "LSU's Ed Orgeron answers on ESPN: 'What is the biggest change you've brought?'," 19 July 2017 Turning this on its head, the susceptibility of Bose– — Thilo Stöferle, Ars Technica, "The science of Spectral: Is that really how Bose–Einstein condensate behaves?," 18 July 2017 Head over to PCWorld’s comprehensive Windows 10 Creators Update review for the full rundown and extensive hands-on impressions, or our round-up of the Creators Update’s best new features. — Brad Chacos, PCWorld, "Windows 10 Creators Update FAQ: Everything you need to know," 17 July 2017 The Senate bill would also require the head of Air Force Space Command to serve for six years, rather than two or four years. — Jay Bennett, Popular Mechanics, "Space Corps Military Branch Approved by House," 15 July 2017 Facing a potential recall, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett has a huge head start on anyone who wants to run for his job. — Bill Glauber, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett raised $123,000 in first six months of the year," 14 July 2017

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Heinrichs, whom John Ellis had mentored at his academy, had become head coach at the University of Maryland and wanted Jill to be her assistant. — Aimee Lewis, CNN, "Jill Ellis: The shy girl from England who became US Soccer's record-breaking head coach," 5 July 2019 Out was quarterbacks coach Dan Enos, who went to Miami, and offensive coordinator Mike Locksley, who became head coach at Maryland. — Josh Bean | Jbean@al.com, al.com, "Why 4-star QB Carson Beck flipped from Alabama to Georgia," 30 June 2019 From 1999-2002, Esposito was a catcher at North Carolina State, where his father Sam Esposito was head coach from 1967-87 and finished with 512 career wins. — Joseph Duarte, Houston Chronicle, "UH baseball hires Sammy Esposito as assistant coach," 26 June 2019 Paige, a redshirt freshman right-hander, was head coach Erik Bakich’s choice to start Game 2 of the College World Series finals against Vanderbilt on Tuesday night. — Anthony Fenech, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan baseball's Erik Bakich calls on Isaiah Paige to start Game 2," 25 June 2019 Raiders coach Jon Gruden hired Rams coach Sean McVay to his first NFL coaching position in 2008, when Gruden was head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and McVay became an assistant wide receivers coach. — Matt Schneidman, The Mercury News, "Raiders will host Rams for joint training camp practices," 24 June 2019 McQueary had been in coaching for 31 years, and was head coach at Bardstown and Caldwell County before coming to Florence. — James Weber, Cincinnati.com, "CovCath adds high-profile talent: 7-footer from Evansville, NKU's new head coach's son," 24 June 2019 When the two began conspiring in September 2013, Ali Khosroshahin was the team’s head coach. — Matthew Ormseth, latimes.com, "Del Mar executive pleads guilty in admissions scandal; remaining parents are fighting charges," 21 June 2019 Mentoring and coaching the players on the field and in the dugout were head coach Wayne Clark and assistants Jean Nicole, Jim Gardner and Geof Ellison. — Emmett Hall, sun-sentinel.com, "Braves secure PAL Little League Minor Division title," 20 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The last of 5,961 Final Edition versions of the Beetle is headed for a museum after ceremonies in Puebla on Wednesday to mark the end of production. — David Mchugh, Anchorage Daily News, "From Nazis to hippies: End of the road for Volkswagen Beetle," 9 July 2019 The last of 5,961 Final Edition versions is headed for a museum after ceremonies in Puebla on July 10 to mark the end of production. — chicagotribune.com, "From Nazis to hippies: It’s the end of the road for the Volkswagen Beetle," 9 July 2019 He was headed to The Washington Post to write obituaries. — Neil Swidey, BostonGlobe.com, "We’re afraid of sharks. But maybe we’re not afraid enough.," 9 July 2019 The group, who all died in the crash, was headed for Fort Lauderdale. — Eric Todisco, PEOPLE.com, "Chris Cline's Daughter and Friend Who Died in Helicopter Crash Were 'Inseparable,' Teacher Says," 8 July 2019 The other survivor, Yaquelin Mereidy Reyes Sopon, 19, who lost her only child, was headed to California, where her husband lives. — Patrick J. Mcdonnell, latimes.com, "Death at the border: 4 from Guatemala, 3 of them children, succumb to heat in Texas," 8 July 2019 Geczik and Olivieri are headed to Texas A&M, with Hranicky selecting Texas and Linares selecting Alabama-Birmingham. — Jack Marrion, Houston Chronicle, "Area soccer stars selected for inaugural Allstate All-America Cup," 8 July 2019 Xavier Musketeers transfer Keonte Kennedy is headed to the University of Texas at El Paso after previously committing to Texas Christian University, according to a report via Twitter from CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein. — Dave Clark, Cincinnati.com, "Report: Xavier transfer Keonte Kennedy leaves TCU for UTEP," 8 July 2019 Minutes later, Woj reported Rajon Rondo is headed back to the Lakers on a 2-year deal. — David Harten, The Courier-Journal, "DeMarcus Cousins and Rajon Rondo reportedly signing with Lakers, joining Anthony Davis," 6 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'head.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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The first known use of head was before the 12th century

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More Definitions for head

head

noun

English Language Learners Definition of head

(Entry 1 of 2)

: the part of the body containing the brain, eyes, ears, nose, and mouth

: a person's mental ability : mind or intellect

: a person who has a specified mental or emotional quality

head

verb

English Language Learners Definition of head (Entry 2 of 2)

: to be the leader of (something)

: to be first on (a list)

: to go in a specified direction or toward a specified place

See the full definition for head in the English Language Learners Dictionary

head

noun

\ ˈhed

Kids Definition of head

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : the part of the body containing the brain, eyes, ears, nose, and mouth

2 : mind entry 1 sense 1 Mom has a good head for figures.

3 : control of the mind or feelings He kept his head during the emergency.

4 : the side of a coin or medal usually thought of as the front

5 : director sense 1, leader She's the head of the school department.

6 : each person among a number Count heads to make sure everyone is here.

7 plural head : a unit of number They own 100 head of cattle.

8 : something like a head in position or use the head of a bed

9 : the place where a stream begins

10 : a tight mass of plant parts (as leaves or flowers) a head of cabbage

11 : a part of a machine, tool, or weapon that performs the main work head of a spear shower head

12 : a place of leadership or honor He is at the head of his class.

13 : climax, crisis Events came to a head.

over someone's head

: beyond someone's understanding Their discussion was way over my head.

head

adjective

Kids Definition of head (Entry 2 of 3)

1 : chief entry 2 sense 1 He's the head coach.

2 : located at the front We sat at the head table.

3 : coming from in front We sailed into a head wind.

head

verb

headed; heading

Kids Definition of head (Entry 3 of 3)

1 : to be the leader of She headed the investigation.

2 : to go or cause to go in a certain direction Let's head for home.

3 : to be first or get in front of He heads the list of candidates.

4 : to provide with or form a head This cabbage heads early.

head

noun

\ ˈhed

Medical Definition of head

1 : the division of the human body that contains the brain, the eyes, the ears, the nose, and the mouth also : the corresponding anterior division of the body of various animals including all vertebrates, most arthropods, and many mollusks and worms

2 : headache

3 : a projection or extremity especially of an anatomical part: as

a : the rounded proximal end of a long bone (as the humerus)

b : the end of a muscle nearest the origin

c : the anterior end of an invertebrate : scolex

4 : the part of a boil, pimple, or abscess at which it is likely to break

5 : the end of a lipid molecule that consists of a polar group and is regarded as being opposite to the tail