head and shoulders

adverb

: beyond comparison : by far

head and shoulders above the competition

Synonyms of head and shoulders

• definitely
• far and away
• by a long shot
• undoubtedly
• by all odds
• by far

Examples of head and shoulders in a Sentence

a performance that was head and shoulders above all the others in the talent competition

Recent Examples on the Web

Several returns to form are in order for the Oilers, and fans say defenceman Jake Walman stands head and shoulders above the rest as the most likely to do so. — Janson Duench, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026

The head and shoulders of 61-year-old Ljubisa Karovic, sitting in seat 11F, were sucked out the window, causing significant injuries, his wife told Reuters. — Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026

The stock appears to be stabilizing after a multi-month decline, with recent inverse head and shoulders pattern suggesting sellers may be running out of momentum. — Tony Zhang, CNBC, 22 July 2026

Other passengers told news media that Karović had his seatbelt on the entire time, helping his body stay inside the plane, but his head and shoulders were outside. — Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 14 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1642, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for head and shoulders

• officeholders
• beholders
• bondholders
• cardholders
• freeholders
• householders
• landholders
• leaseholders
• placeholders
• shareholders
• slaveholders
• smallholders