headscarf

noun

head·​scarf ˈhed-ˌskärf 

plural headscarves ˈhed-ˌskärvz  also headscarfs

: a fabric covering for the head worn especially by women

… young, well-educated European Muslim women who wear the headscarf as a conscious, articulate choice …

—Timothy Garton Ash

The stereotypical fortuneteller, a wizened old woman in a fringed headscarf hunched over a crystal ball …

—Louise Erdich

The US Justice Department, for example, has supported the right of Muslim girls to wear headscarves in public schools.

—Robert O. Paxton

Examples of headscarf in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The queen’s country garb — including riding jackets, tartan skirts and silk headscarves — will also have a place in the show. —Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 21 July 2025

Women appear with headscarves in bed, in the bathroom, and fully covered in the privacy of their own homes. —Ali Farahmand, IndieWire, 8 July 2025

Thousands of people took to the streets, with women burning their headscarves in defiance. —Sara Monetta, NBC news, 19 June 2025

Hailey was seen sporting a yellow, abstract bikini bottom, with a similar shirt and a black and white polka-dot headscarf while sitting on a boat in one of the shots. —Janelle Ash, FOXNews.com, 10 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1688, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for headscarf

• scarf
• scharf