HEADMAN Synonyms: 71 Similar and Opposite Words

headman

noun

Definition of headman

as in leader

the person (as an employer or supervisor) who tells people and especially workers what to do as headman at the newspaper 20 years ago, he hired the then-promising young reporter who won this year's Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of headman The New York Giants were the first team to have a head coach non-vacancy, with former Baltimore Ravens headman John Harbaugh taking his services to the Big Apple. — Jim Reineking, USA Today, 16 Jan. 2026 The child’s uncle, Salim Güran — the village headman — had been arrested earlier in the probe, per Hürriyet Daily News. — Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 6 Sep. 2025 Jerry Jones’ relationship with Colorado Buffaloes headman Deion Sanders is documented, but hiring Coach Prime may only be considered if the Cowboys pivot off of Prescott and draft Deion’s son Shedeur Sanders. — Kambui Bomani, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025 Jon Merrill came on for Bogosian and got caught flat-footed when Manson hit a headman pass to the blue line for O’Connor. — Michael Russo, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for headman

Recent Examples of Synonyms for headman

Noun

The president of the Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership (ANDP) said the law is an important step forward, but its long-term success will depend on cooperation between federal, state and local leaders.

— Nakell Williams, CBS News, 14 July 2026
Rock House is not only a reminder of Alexander’s achievements, a planter, blacksmith and leader of the American Revolution in Mecklenburg County, but also the enslavement of at least 17 people that occurred there.

— Laura Horne, Charlotte Observer, 14 July 2026

Definition of leader

Noun

Hauser played hardened ranch foreman Rip Wheeler on the Paramount Network series that ran from 2018 to 2024.

— Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 July 2026
Beth, the daughter of the late John Dutton (Kevin Costner), and Rip, the Dutton ranch’s longtime foreman and fixer, have become one of TV's most beloved and volatile couples.

— Deirdre Durkan, PEOPLE, 24 June 2026

Definition of foreman

Noun

Like Sir Richard Branson himself, Virgin lets the hair grow long and undoes a few buttons while still making savvy business decisions, like a boss.

— JP Brammer, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 July 2026
My last bosses had created a toxic work environment in which people hesitated to speak up, question authority, or make mistakes.

— Leslie Friday, CNBC, 10 July 2026

Definition of boss

Noun

Former Uvalde, Texas, school police chief Pete Arredondo was due to appear in federal court Tuesday, but the hearing was abruptly postponed due to heavy rain and flooding in parts of Texas, and a new date has not yet been scheduled.

— Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 14 July 2026
Mexico long lacked the funds, or interest, to pony up the hundreds of millions of dollars needed to purchase the Gelman cache, a former chief of the country’s fine-arts agency told the Milenio news outlet this year.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026

Definition of chief

Noun

Jude Bellingham scored for England in that game, including the extra-time winner, to reach six goals and match his teammate and captain, Harry Kane.

— Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 14 July 2026
Strengthening there remains imperative, with club captain Seamus Coleman having left as a free agent and Scotland international Nathan Patterson expected to follow him.

— Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 14 July 2026

Definition of captain

Noun

Also contributing heavily to that deep black-on-light gray contrast is the custom black entry door prepared by the master craftsmen at Tern Overland.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 8 July 2026
These two masters of image management provided colliding—utopian versus dystopian—scenes at contrasting Fourth of July weekend mega events.

— Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 8 July 2026

Definition of master

Noun

Ukraine's drone force commander, Robert Brovdi, known as Magyar, said via Telegram that 14 Russian ships were hit in the Sea of Azov on Thursday evening, taking the number of Russian vessels stuck by Ukrainian drones to 35 over the last 96 hours.

— Sam Meredith, CNBC, 10 July 2026
The two-pilot setup matches the arrangement found in the B-2 Spirit bomber, where a pilot and a mission commander share flight duties and alternate tasks during long missions.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 10 July 2026

Definition of commander

Noun

Kenneth Malin, the West Cedar Creek MUD’s general manager, did not respond to a message requesting comment on the district’s discussions with Diode.

— Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 July 2026
England manager Graham Taylor’s standing with the English media and public never recovered.

— Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 11 July 2026

Definition of manager

Browse Nearby Words

headlong

headman

headmaster

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“Headman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/headman. Accessed 15 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of headman

noun

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