header

noun

head·​er ˈhe-dər 

1

: one that removes heads

especially : a grain-harvesting machine that cuts off the grain heads and elevates them to a wagon

2

a

: a brick or stone laid in a wall with its end toward the face of the wall

b

: a beam fitted at one side of an opening to support free ends of floor joists, studs, or rafters

c

: a horizontal structural or finish piece over an opening : lintel

d

: a conduit (such as an exhaust pipe for a many-cylindered engine) into which a number of smaller conduits open

e

: a mounting plate through which electrical terminals pass from a sealed device (such as a transistor)

3

: a fall or dive headfirst

took a header into the pool

4

: a shot or pass in soccer made by heading the ball

5

a

: head sense 15a(1)

b

: information (such as a page number) printed or placed at the top of each page of a document compare footer sense 2

Synonyms

• caption
• head
• heading
• headline
• rubric
• title

Examples of header in a Sentence

She tripped on the rock and took a header.

He scored with a header past the goalie.

Recent Examples on the Web

That came 12 minutes after San Diego’s Kennedy Wesley scored on a header that got past a diving Silkowitz for her first goal of the season. —Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 5 May 2025

But Inter keeper Yann Sommer saved his header in the fifth minute of injury time. —Manuel Veth, Forbes.com, 17 Apr. 2025

Saturday brings a quadruple header of Stanley Cup Playoffs action, including the first elimination game of the postseason. —Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2025

The developers have added custom scripts and HTTP headers to minimize visibility to security scanners. —Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing header

• triple-header

Rhymes for header

• cheddar
• pedder
• redder
• shredder
• spreader

Kids Definition

header

noun

head·​er ˈhed-ər 

: a fall or dive headfirst

took a header downstairs