1
a
: something that forms or serves as a head
especially
: an inscription, headline, or title standing at the top or beginning (as of a letter or chapter)
b
: the address and date at the beginning of a letter showing its place and time of origin
2
: the compass direction in which the longitudinal axis of a ship or aircraft points
broadly
: direction
3
Examples of heading in a Sentence
What is your current heading?
We organized all the recipes under different subject headings.
His paintings usually fall under the heading of realism.
Recent Examples on the Web
Tomas Cuesta/Getty Images The front-runner heading into Argentina’s presidential vote on Oct. 22 is prone to wielding a chainsaw – both physically and metaphorically.
—
Eric D. Carter, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2023
Oregon’s Caroline Inglis started the day in 17th place, but a 75 on a day with good scoring dropped her back into a tie for 58th heading into the final round.
—Scott Sepich For The Oregonian/oregonlive, oregonlive, 2 Sep. 2023
Lap 136 restart: Scott Dixon leads Scott Dixon leads as Josef Newgarden holds off Pato O'Ward for second heading into Turn 1.
—Scott Horner, The Indianapolis Star, 27 Aug. 2023
Soon, most of the seats on the JCS will be vacant, and setting a long-term heading for the DOD will be nearly impossible since everyone will be in an acting capacity.
—Brynn Tannehill, The New Republic, 14 Sep. 2023
Guidance from England’s Football Association says heading should not be introduced until age 12 and remains a low priority until players graduate from the U16 level.
—Greg McKenna, BostonGlobe.com, 3 Sep. 2023
There’s another kind of tag that researchers hope to deploy this year, which closely monitors the whale shark’s movements for roughly a 24-hour period, including their heading, movements, depth, speed, down to how many tail beats the shark makes.
—Dennis Pillion | Dpillion@al.com, al, 17 Aug. 2023
One change, Campbell said, is under the heading of Sportsmanship and relates to off-campus behavior and social media exchanges.
—Ed Wittenberg, cleveland, 28 Aug. 2023
Why experts aren’t worried about the latest Covid uptick
Public health officials are feeling optimistic heading into the typical cold and flu season.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 18 Aug. 2023
See More
Eric D. Carter, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2023
Oregon’s Caroline Inglis started the day in 17th place, but a 75 on a day with good scoring dropped her back into a tie for 58th heading into the final round.
—Scott Sepich For The Oregonian/oregonlive, oregonlive, 2 Sep. 2023
Lap 136 restart: Scott Dixon leads Scott Dixon leads as Josef Newgarden holds off Pato O'Ward for second heading into Turn 1.
—Scott Horner, The Indianapolis Star, 27 Aug. 2023
Soon, most of the seats on the JCS will be vacant, and setting a long-term heading for the DOD will be nearly impossible since everyone will be in an acting capacity.
—Brynn Tannehill, The New Republic, 14 Sep. 2023
Guidance from England’s Football Association says heading should not be introduced until age 12 and remains a low priority until players graduate from the U16 level.
—Greg McKenna, BostonGlobe.com, 3 Sep. 2023
There’s another kind of tag that researchers hope to deploy this year, which closely monitors the whale shark’s movements for roughly a 24-hour period, including their heading, movements, depth, speed, down to how many tail beats the shark makes.
—Dennis Pillion | Dpillion@al.com, al, 17 Aug. 2023
One change, Campbell said, is under the heading of Sportsmanship and relates to off-campus behavior and social media exchanges.
—Ed Wittenberg, cleveland, 28 Aug. 2023
Why experts aren’t worried about the latest Covid uptick
Public health officials are feeling optimistic heading into the typical cold and flu season.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 18 Aug. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'heading.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1650, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Dictionary Entries Near heading
Cite this Entry
“Heading.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heading. Accessed 23 Oct. 2023.
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Kids Definition
heading
noun
head·ing
ˈhed-iŋ 
1
: the direction in which a ship or aircraft points
2
: something (as a title or an address) at the top or beginning (as of a letter or chapter)
More from Merriam-Webster on heading
Nglish: Translation of heading for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of heading for Arabic Speakers
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