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headmaster

noun
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head·​mas·​ter | \ ˈhed-ˌma-stər How to pronounce headmaster (audio) , -ˈma- \

Definition of headmaster

: a man heading the staff of a private school : principal
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Other Words from headmaster

headmasterly \ ˈhed-​ˌma-​stər-​lē How to pronounce headmaster (audio) , -​ˈma-​ \ adjective
headmastership \ ˈhed-​ˌma-​stər-​ˌship How to pronounce headmaster (audio) , -​ˈma-​ \ noun

Examples of headmaster in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Ogilvy himself stomped through the halls, the ultimate headmaster. — Bruce Mccall, The New Yorker, "My Life in Cars," 12 Dec. 2020 One student has already been suspended and forced to apologize for writing a letter to the headmaster. — Cameron Hilditch, National Review, "England’s Top School Fires Teacher for Thought Crimes," 4 Dec. 2020 In 1976, after Mrs. Thatcher’s Tudor-style dissolution of the grammar schools, Eric James, a former headmaster, gave an eloquent and moving speech in the House of Lords defending the old order of education that was being vandalized before his eyes. — Cameron Hilditch, National Review, "How Britain Imported the American High School," 17 Nov. 2020 Following some whispers from the other moms and the headmaster suggesting Grace shouldn't be there, Sylvia whisks her off to dinner to chat. — Derek Lawrence, EW.com, "The Undoing recap: Nicole Kidman discovers some big (not-so-little) lies," 2 Nov. 2020 Around the same time, administrators and the headmaster called a meeting with the girl and informed her that she was suspended for one day. — Lillian Reed, baltimoresun.com, "Second former Concordia Preparatory School student files federal lawsuit alleging sexual assault complaints were ignored," 6 Nov. 2020 The headmaster, Padre Giulio, is fighting a losing battle. — Bernhard Warner, Fortune, "Global stocks fall, dollar rises as stimulus talks fade and COVID cases spike," 26 Oct. 2020 If Teddy walks out, James will call the headmaster and complain. — Seija Rankin, EW.com, "First look: Inside Samantha Downing's next novel, For Your Own Good," 28 Oct. 2020 At dinner last week, the girls broke the news to my wife and me that the school headmaster had laid down the law: there will be no Halloween celebrations at the school this year. — Bernhard Warner, Fortune, "Global stocks fall, dollar rises as stimulus talks fade and COVID cases spike," 26 Oct. 2020

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

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First Known Use of headmaster

1576, in the meaning defined above

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Time Traveler for headmaster

Time Traveler

The first known use of headmaster was in 1576

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Statistics for headmaster

Last Updated

23 Dec 2020

Cite this Entry

“Headmaster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/headmaster. Accessed 25 Jan. 2021.

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More Definitions for headmaster

headmaster

noun
How to pronounce headmaster (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of headmaster

: a man who is the head of a U.S. private school
: a man who is the head of a British school

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

headmaster

noun
head·​mas·​ter | \ ˈhed-ˌma-stər How to pronounce headmaster (audio) \

Kids Definition of headmaster

: a man who heads the staff of a private school

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More from Merriam-Webster on headmaster

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for headmaster

Nglish: Translation of headmaster for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of headmaster for Arabic Speakers

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