headshot

noun

head·​shot ˈhed-ˌshät 

variants or less commonly head shot

plural headshots also head shots

: a photograph of a person's head and face

When you dream of becoming a big actor, the first thing you have to do is make sure you have your headshots done.

—Stephen Adamson

The difference can be seen by comparing her 2016 headshot—which she also used for this year's Miss Michigan competition—to the recently minted headshot that will be the first thing Miss America judges see of her.

—Justine McGuire

The closet doors were covered with taped-up magazine photos of cast members from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, interspersed with a few dewy-eyed head shots of some androgynous blond actors that Nerese couldn't identify …

—Richard Price

When I saw her the next day, I noticed that she had printed out my prof's head shot from his Web site and stuck it on the dartboard in her dorm room.

—Theresa O'Rourke

Examples of headshot in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Robin wrote alongside an old headshot of Alan in a December 2022 Instagram post. —Ale Russian, Peoplemag, 2 Mar. 2024

Recent months have seen an explosion of everything from bots that’ll spit out pick-up lines and flirt for you to AI editors that’ll polish your dating profile and photo generators that can turn your bathroom selfies into high-quality headshots. —Alexandra S. Levine, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024

The latter immediately walked to the front of the stage, whipped out his cellphone and took a photograph of the audience, where seat placards with headshots noted who would sit where in the crowd. —Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2024

According to the father’s arrest report, the son called 911 despite the headshot. —Omar Rodríguez Ortiz, Miami Herald, 22 Feb. 2024

The winner's biography and headshot will be published online and in print. —Journal Sentinel, 22 Jan. 2024

The matchmaking in The Finals should be a little bit more relaxed than something like Call of Duty simply because the skill gap will be different than who can hit their headshots. —Tom Warren, The Verge, 8 Dec. 2023

Attendees will be taught the basics in how to audition for roles, how to prepare and create self-tapes, resumes, headshots and other emergency materials and a mock dance call will be presented. —Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Oct. 2023

Then the tables were turned and models shared tips on posing, particularly for taking headshots. —Celia Shatzman, Forbes, 14 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1936, in the meaning defined above