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

About 150 protesters were taken to hospital with injuries following Monday’s violence, according to leaders of the party behind the protests.

— Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 22 July 2026
While Wyscout is the industry leader for video scouting tools in football, Eyeball has, since forming in 2020, established itself as the youth football equivalent across the globe.

— Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 22 July 2026

Definition of leader

Noun

Volkwine, lead foreman for Pivot Custom Skate Parks, a division of American Ramp Company, and his team have spent much of the last year helping to bring Idaho’s newest and biggest skate park to life.

— Noah Daly July 31, Idaho Statesman, 31 July 2026
What money cannot copy is a workplace where people feel respected, where a foreman takes time to teach instead of just bark orders and where someone's growth is treated as the company's responsibility.

— Brad Strawbridge, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026

Definition of foreman

Noun

Although German sportswear brand Puma reported a slip in sales in the second quarter, the company’s bosses remain optimistic that their plan to bring the brand back to growth by 2027 is on the right track.

— Cathrin Schaer, Footwear News, 31 July 2026
For example, public acknowledgement via a shoutout, private recognition from a boss, or receiving a high level of achievement through a review can be memorable forms of recognition to employees.

— Rick Elliott, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026

Definition of boss

Noun

The ritual is one of the most somber duties of a commander-in-chief.

— ABC News, ABC News, 22 July 2026
That's what is alleged to have taken place last year in Lake County, Florida, between a former police chief, who resigned in June after being placed on administrative leave in May, and a suspect's wife.

— Sean Joseph OutKick, FOXNews.com, 21 July 2026

Definition of chief

Noun

The umpire rejected West Indies' appeal but captain Roston Chase referred the decision to the television umpire, who ruled the ball was turning enough to hit leg stump.

— ABC News, ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026
Or he was coached hard and pushed hard by the team’s captain and coach.

— Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of captain

Noun

The competition series featured masters of shamanism, tarot, face and foot reading, saju and other divination disciplines competing in challenges that tested their abilities, using tools including fans, bells, dowsing rods and modern-day laptops.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 30 July 2026
This story covers the rise of robots rebelling against their masters.

— Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026

Definition of master

Noun

By distilling commander’s intent through intuitive, natural language commands, Anura scales the Soldier-to-robot ratio, reduces cognitive burden, accelerates training timelines, and enables heads-up, hands-free operation.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 1 Aug. 2026
Whenever negotiations resume, Iran's opaque power structure — spanning the Supreme Leader, the Revolutionary Guards, civilian government, commanders and other groups — will shape not only what is agreed, but whether any deal can be enforced.

— Emma Graham, CNBC, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of commander

Noun

Despite leadership development being a top HR priority, 80% of firms lack confidence in their pipelines, indicating a critical underinvestment in developing managers' cognitive and psychological capabilities.

— Cindy Rodriguez Constable, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Factory managers were often on the defensive, since raising vision problems could sound like a critique of their management.

— Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 31 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 4 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of headman

noun

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