ENGLISH THESAURUS & DICTIONARY

head

noun · verb

Words like head

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Related words aren’t always interchangeable. Check the definition before you choose.

MEANING & USAGE

Definitions & examples

01noun

the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains

“he stuck his head out the window”

02noun

a single domestic animal

“200 head of cattle”

03noun

that which is responsible for one's thoughts, feelings, and conscious brain functions; the seat of the faculty of reason

“his mind wandered”

“I couldn't get his words out of my head”

04noun

a person who is in charge

“the head of the whole operation”

38 more meanings

05noun

the front of a military formation or procession

“the head of the column advanced boldly”

“they were at the head of the attack”

06noun

the pressure exerted by a fluid

“a head of steam”

07noun

the top of something

“the head of the stairs”

“the head of the page”

08noun

the source of water from which a stream arises

“they tracked him back toward the head of the stream”

09noun

(grammar) the word in a grammatical constituent that plays the same grammatical role as the whole constituent

10noun

the tip of an abscess (where the pus accumulates)

11noun

the length or height based on the size of a human or animal head

“he is two heads taller than his little sister”

“his horse won by a head”

12noun

a dense cluster of flowers or foliage

“a head of cauliflower”

“a head of lettuce”

13noun

the educator who has executive authority for a school

“she sent unruly pupils to see the principal”

14noun

an individual person

“tickets are $5 per head”

15noun

a user of (usually soft) drugs

“the office was full of secret heads”

16noun

a natural elevation (especially a rocky one that juts out into the sea)

17noun

a rounded compact mass

“the head of a comet”

18noun

the foam or froth that accumulates at the top when you pour an effervescent liquid into a container

“the beer had a large head of foam”

19noun

the part in the front or nearest the viewer

“he was in the forefront”

“he was at the head of the column”

20noun

a difficult juncture

“a pretty pass”

“matters came to a head yesterday”

21noun

forward movement

“the ship made little headway against the gale”

22noun

a V-shaped mark at one end of an arrow pointer

“the point of the arrow was due north”

23noun

the subject matter at issue

“the question of disease merits serious discussion”

“under the head of minor Roman poets”

24noun

a line of text serving to indicate what the passage below it is about

“the heading seemed to have little to do with the text”

25noun

the rounded end of a bone that fits into a rounded cavity in another bone to form a joint

“the head of the humerus”

26noun

that part of a skeletal muscle that is away from the bone that it moves

27noun

(computer science) a tiny electromagnetic coil and metal pole used to write and read magnetic patterns on a disk

28noun

(usually plural) the obverse side of a coin that usually bears the representation of a person's head

“call heads or tails!”

29noun

the striking part of a tool

“the head of the hammer”

30noun

(nautical) a toilet on board a boat or ship

31noun

a projection out from one end

“the head of the nail”

“a pinhead is the head of a pin”

32noun

a membrane that is stretched taut over a drum

33noun

oral stimulation of the genitals

“they say he gives good head”

34verb

to go or travel towards

“where is she heading?”

“We were headed for the mountains”

35verb

be in charge of

“Who is heading this project?”

36verb

travel in front of; go in advance of others

“The procession was headed by John”

37verb

be the first or leading member of (a group) and excel

“This student heads the class”

38verb

direct the course; determine the direction of travelling

39verb

take its rise

“These rivers head from a mountain range in the Himalayas”

40verb

be in the front of or on top of

“The list was headed by the name of the president”

41verb

form a head or come or grow to a head

“The wheat headed early this year”

42verb

remove the head of

“head the fish”

Meanings and examples from Open English WordNet 2025. About our sources ↗

WORDS IN USE

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Idiom explained

hit the nail on the head

Identify or describe something exactly right.

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Expressions with “head”

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Explore multiword dictionary entries containing this word. Each has its own meanings and related words.

ax head head up axe head head off head sea acid head club head hash head