Definition of head
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
2 a
: 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 2obverse 1) of a coin
—usually used in plural
- call heads or tails
4 a
: person, individual
- count heads
b
plural head
: one of a number (as of domestic animals)
- sold twenty head of cattle
5 a
: 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
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
7 a
: capitulum 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
8 a
: 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
9 a
: 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
10 a
: 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)
11 a
: 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
12 a
: the bow and adjacent parts of a ship
b
: a ship's toilet;
broadly
: toilet 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
15 a (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)
17 a
: 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
18 a
: a part or attachment of a machine or machine tool containing a device (such as a cutter or drill)
- turret head of a lathe
- 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")
20 a
: one who uses a drug
—often used in combination
- pothead
b
: a devoted enthusiast : aficionado
—often used in combination
- computerhead
—
by the head
: drawing the greater depth of water forward
—
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
