HEAD

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does head mean? 

• HEAD (noun)
  The noun HEAD has 33 senses:

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

2. a single domestic animal

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

4. a person who is in charge

5. the front of a military formation or procession

6. the pressure exerted by a fluid

7. the top of something

8. the source of water from which a stream arises

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

10. the tip of an abscess (where the pus accumulates)

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

12. a dense cluster of flowers or foliage

13. the educator who has executive authority for a school

14. an individual person

15. a user of (usually soft) drugs

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

17. a rounded compact mass

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

19. the part in the front or nearest the viewer

20. a difficult juncture

21. forward movement

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

23. the subject matter at issue

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

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

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

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

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

29. the striking part of a tool

30. (nautical) a toilet on board a boat or ship

31. a projection out from one end

32. a membrane that is stretched taut over a drum

33. oral stimulation of the genitals

  Familiarity information: HEAD used as a noun is very familiar.

• HEAD (verb)
  The verb HEAD has 9 senses:

1. to go or travel towards

2. be in charge of

3. travel in front of; go in advance of others

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

5. direct the course; determine the direction of travelling

6. take its rise

7. be in the front of or on top of

8. form a head or come or grow to a head

9. remove the head of

  Familiarity information: HEAD used as a verb is familiar.

 Dictionary entry details 

• HEAD (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Synonyms:

caput; head

Context example:

he stuck his head out the window

Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):

external body part (any body part visible externally)

Meronyms (parts of "head"):

muzzle (forward projecting part of the head of certain animals; includes the jaws and nose)

ear (the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium)

arteria basilaris; basilar artery (an unpaired artery; supplies the pons and cerebellum and the back part of the cerebrum and the inner ear)

brain; encephalon (that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord)

skull (the bony skeleton of the head of vertebrates)

face; human face (the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear)

temple (the flat area on either side of the forehead)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "head"):

human head (the head of a human being)

Holonyms ("head" is a part of...):

animal; animate being; beast; brute; creature; fauna (a living organism characterized by voluntary movement)

body; organic structure (the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being))

Sense 2

Meaning:

A single domestic animal

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Context example:

200 head of cattle

Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):

domestic animal; domesticated animal (any of various animals that have been tamed and made fit for a human environment)

Sense 3

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

brain; head; mind; nous; psyche

Context example:

I couldn't get his words out of my head

Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):

cognition; knowledge; noesis (the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "head"):

tabula rasa (a young mind not yet affected by experience (according to John Locke))

subconscious; subconscious mind (psychic activity just below the level of awareness)

unconscious; unconscious mind (that part of the mind wherein psychic activity takes place of which the person is unaware)

ego ((psychoanalysis) the conscious mind)

noddle (an informal British expression for head or mind)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A person who is in charge

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

chief; head; top dog

Context example:

the head of the whole operation

Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):

leader (a person who rules or guides or inspires others)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "head"):

capo (the head of a branch of an organized crime syndicate)

secretary (a person who is head of an administrative department of government)

head of household (the head of a household or family or tribe)

grand dragon (a high ranking person in the Ku Klux Klan)

general manager (the highest ranking manager)

general; superior general (the head of a religious order or congregation)

don; father (the head of an organized crime family)

department head (the head of a department)

administrator; decision maker (someone who administers a business)

administrator; executive (someone who manages a government agency or department)

Derivation:

head (be in charge of)

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

headship (the position of head)

Sense 5

Meaning:

The front of a military formation or procession

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Context example:

they were at the head of the attack

Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):

formation (an arrangement of people or things acting as a unit)

Domain category:

armed forces; armed services; military; military machine; war machine (the military forces of a nation)

Antonym:

rear (the back of a military formation or procession)

Derivation:

head (direct the course; determine the direction of travelling)

head (to go or travel towards)

head (travel in front of; go in advance of others)

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

heady (marked by defiant disregard for danger or consequences)

Sense 6

Meaning:

The pressure exerted by a fluid

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural phenomena

Context example:

a head of steam

Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):

force per unit area; pressure; pressure level (the force applied to a unit area of surface; measured in pascals (SI unit) or in dynes (cgs unit))

Sense 7

Meaning:

The top of something

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Context example:

the head of the list

Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):

top (the upper part of anything)

Antonym:

foot (the lower part of anything)

Derivation:

head (be in the front of or on top of)

Sense 8

Meaning:

The source of water from which a stream arises

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Synonyms:

fountainhead; head; headspring

Context example:

they tracked him back toward the head of the stream

Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):

beginning; origin; root; rootage; source (the place where something begins, where it springs into being)

Sense 9

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

head; head word

Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):

word (a unit of language that native speakers can identify)

Domain category:

grammar (the branch of linguistics that deals with syntax and morphology (and sometimes also deals with semantics))

Sense 10

Meaning:

The tip of an abscess (where the pus accumulates)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):

peak; point; tip (a V shape)

Holonyms ("head" is a part of...):

abscess (symptom consisting of a localized collection of pus surrounded by inflamed tissue)

Sense 11

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Context example:

his horse won by a head

Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):

linear measure; linear unit (a unit of measurement of length)

Sense 12

Meaning:

A dense cluster of flowers or foliage

Classified under:

Nouns denoting plants

Synonyms:

capitulum; head

Context example:

a head of lettuce

Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):

plant organ (a functional and structural unit of a plant or fungus)

Sense 13

Meaning:

The educator who has executive authority for a school

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

head; head teacher; principal; school principal

Context example:

she sent unruly pupils to see the principal

Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):

educator; pedagog; pedagogue (someone who educates young people)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "head"):

headmistress (a woman headmaster)

chancellor (the honorary or titular head of a university)

headmaster; master; schoolmaster (presiding officer of a school)

Derivation:

headship (the position of head)

headship (the position of headmaster or headmistress)

Sense 14

Meaning:

An individual person

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Context example:

tickets are $5 per head

Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):

individual (a single organism)

Sense 15

Meaning:

A user of (usually soft) drugs

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Context example:

the office was full of secret heads

Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):

drug user; substance abuser; user (a person who takes drugs)

Domain usage:

colloquialism (a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "head"):

acid head (someone who takes LSD)

hash head (a user of hashish)

pill head (a consumer of amphetamine pills)

pothead (someone who smokes marijuana habitually)

Sense 16

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)

Synonyms:

foreland; head; headland; promontory

Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):

elevation; natural elevation (a raised or elevated geological formation)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "head"):

point (a promontory extending out into a large body of water)

mull (a term used in Scottish names of promontories)

Instance hyponyms:

Cape Canaveral; Cape Kennedy (a sandy promontory (formerly Cape Kennedy) extending into the Atlantic Ocean from a barrier island off the eastern coast of Florida; the site of a NASA center for spaceflight)

Cape Hatteras (a promontory on Hatteras Island off the Atlantic coast of North Carolina)

Cape Horn (a rocky headland belonging to Chile at the southernmost tip of South America (south of Tierra del Fuego))

Calpe; Gibraltar; Rock of Gibraltar (location of a colony of the United Kingdom on a limestone promontory at the southern tip of Spain; strategically important because it can control the entrance of ships into the Mediterranean; one of the Pillars of Hercules)

Cape Sable (a promontory on the far southern part of Nova Scotia)

Abila; Abyla; Jebel Musa (a promontory in northern Morocco opposite the Rock of Gibraltar; one of the Pillars of Hercules)

Sense 17

Meaning:

A rounded compact mass

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)

Context example:

the head of a comet

Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):

object; physical object (a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow)

Sense 18

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)

Context example:

the beer had a large head of foam

Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):

foam; froth (a mass of small bubbles formed in or on a liquid)

Sense 19

Meaning:

The part in the front or nearest the viewer

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Synonyms:

forefront; head

Context example:

he was at the head of the column

Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):

forepart; front; front end (the side that is forward or prominent)

Derivation:

head (travel in front of; go in advance of others)

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

head (be in the front of or on top of)

head (to go or travel towards)

head (direct the course; determine the direction of travelling)

Sense 20

Meaning:

A difficult juncture

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Synonyms:

head; pass; straits

Context example:

matters came to a head yesterday

Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):

juncture; occasion (an event that occurs at a critical time)

Sense 21

Meaning:

Forward movement

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Synonyms:

head; headway

Context example:

the ship made little headway against the gale

Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):

advance; progress; progression (a movement forward)

Derivation:

head (direct the course; determine the direction of travelling)

head (travel in front of; go in advance of others)

head (to go or travel towards)

Sense 22

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

head; point

Context example:

the point of the arrow was due north

Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):

mark (a written or printed symbol (as for punctuation))

Holonyms ("head" is a part of...):

arrow; pointer (a mark to indicate a direction or relation)

Sense 23

Meaning:

The subject matter at issue

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

head; question

Context example:

under the head of minor Roman poets

Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):

subject; theme; topic (the subject matter of a conversation or discussion)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "head"):

problem (a question raised for consideration or solution)

matter of fact; question of fact (a disputed factual contention that is generally left for a jury to decide)

matter of law; question of law (a disputed legal contention that is generally left for a judge to decide)

Sense 24

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

head; header; heading

Context example:

the heading seemed to have little to do with the text

Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):

line (text consisting of a row of words written across a page or computer screen)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "head"):

crosshead; crossheading (a heading of a subsection printed within the body of the text)

headline; newspaper headline (the heading or caption of a newspaper article)

lemma (the heading that indicates the subject of an annotation or a literary composition or a dictionary entry)

rubric (a title or heading that is printed in red or in a special type)

running head; running headline (a heading printed at the top of every page (or every other page) of a book)

subhead; subheading (a heading of a subdivision of a text)

rubric; statute title; title (a heading that names a statute or legislative bill; may give a brief summary of the matters it deals with)

Sense 25

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Context example:

the head of the humerus

Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):

anatomical structure; bodily structure; body structure; complex body part; structure (a particular complex anatomical part of a living thing and its construction and arrangement)

Sense 26

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):

anatomical structure; bodily structure; body structure; complex body part; structure (a particular complex anatomical part of a living thing and its construction and arrangement)

Holonyms ("head" is a part of...):

skeletal muscle; striated muscle (a muscle that is connected at either or both ends to a bone and so move parts of the skeleton; a muscle that is characterized by transverse stripes)

Sense 27

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

head; read/write head

Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):

coil (reactor consisting of a spiral of insulated wire that introduces inductance into a circuit)

Domain category:

computer science; computing (the branch of engineering science that studies (with the aid of computers) computable processes and structures)

Sense 28

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Context example:

call heads or tails!

Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):

obverse (the side of a coin or medal bearing the principal stamp or design)

Domain usage:

plural; plural form (the form of a word that is used to denote more than one)

Holonyms ("head" is a part of...):

coin (a flat metal piece (usually a disc) used as money)

Antonym:

tail ((usually plural) the reverse side of a coin that does not bear the representation of a person's head)

Sense 29

Meaning:

The striking part of a tool

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Context example:

the head of the hammer

Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):

striker (the part of a mechanical device that strikes something)

Meronyms (parts of "head"):

face (the striking or working surface of an implement)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "head"):

hammerhead (the striking part of a hammer)

club-head; club head; clubhead; golf-club head ((golf) the head of the club which strikes the ball)

Holonyms ("head" is a part of...):

hammer (a hand tool with a heavy rigid head and a handle; used to deliver an impulsive force by striking)

ram (a tool for driving or forcing something by impact)

Sense 30

Meaning:

(nautical) a toilet on board a boat or ship

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):

bathroom; can; john; lav; lavatory; privy; toilet (a room or building equipped with one or more toilets)

Sense 31

Meaning:

A projection out from one end

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Context example:

a pinhead is the head of a pin

Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):

projection (any structure that branches out from a central support)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "head"):

pinhead (the head of a pin)

Holonyms ("head" is a part of...):

bolt (a screw that screws into a nut to form a fastener)

nail (a thin pointed piece of metal that is hammered into materials as a fastener)

pin (a small slender (often pointed) piece of wood or metal used to support or fasten or attach things)

screw (a fastener with a tapered threaded shank and a slotted head)

Sense 32

Meaning:

A membrane that is stretched taut over a drum

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

drumhead; head

Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):

membrane (a thin pliable sheet of material)

Holonyms ("head" is a part of...):

drum; membranophone; tympan (a musical percussion instrument; usually consists of a hollow cylinder with a membrane stretched across each end)

Sense 33

Meaning:

Oral stimulation of the genitals

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

head; oral sex

Context example:

they say he gives good head

Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):

perversion; sexual perversion (an aberrant sexual practice)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "head"):

fellatio; fellation (oral stimulation of the penis)

cunnilinctus; cunnilingus (oral stimulation of the vulva or clitoris)

sixty-nine; soixante-neuf (oral sex practiced simultaneously by two people)

• HEAD (verb)

Conjugation:

Sense 1

Meaning:

To go or travel towards

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Context example:

We were headed for the mountains

Hypernyms (to "head" is one way to...):

continue; go forward; proceed (move ahead; travel onward in time or space)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "head"):

make; take (head into a specified direction)

Sentence frames:

Something is ----ing PP
Somebody ----s PP

Sentence example:

They head up the hill

Derivation:

head (forward movement)

head (the front of a military formation or procession)

head (the part in the front or nearest the viewer)

heading (the direction or path along which something moves or along which it lies)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Be in charge of

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

head; lead

Context example:

Who is heading this project?

Hypernyms (to "head" is one way to...):

direct (be in charge of)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "head"):

chair; chairman (act or preside as chair, as of an academic department in a university)

captain (be the captain of a sports team)

spearhead (be the leader of)

take charge; take control; take hold (assume control)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

head (a person who is in charge)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Travel in front of; go in advance of others

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

head; lead

Context example:

The procession was headed by John

Hypernyms (to "head" is one way to...):

lead; precede (move ahead (of others) in time or space)

Verb group:

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

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "head"):

draw away (move ahead of (one's competitors) in a race)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

head (the front of a military formation or procession)

head (the part in the front or nearest the viewer)

head (forward movement)

Sense 4

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Synonyms:

head; head up

Context example:

This student heads the class

Hypernyms (to "head" is one way to...):

be (have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun))

Verb group:

head; lead (travel in front of; go in advance of others)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

head (the front of a military formation or procession)

head (the part in the front or nearest the viewer)

head (a person who is in charge)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Direct the course; determine the direction of travelling

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

channelise; channelize; direct; guide; head; maneuver; manoeuver; manoeuvre; point; steer

Hypernyms (to "head" is one way to...):

command; control (exercise authoritative control or power over)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "head"):

navigate; pilot (act as the navigator in a car, plane, or vessel and plan, direct, plot the path and position of the conveyance)

park (maneuver a vehicle into a parking space)

corner; tree (force a person or an animal into a position from which he cannot escape)

channel (direct the flow of)

conn (conduct or direct the steering of a ship or plane)

starboard (turn to the right, of helms or rudders)

stand out (steer away from shore, of ships)

navigate (direct carefully and safely)

crab (direct (an aircraft) into a crosswind)

helm (be at or take the helm of)

pull over (steer a vehicle to the side of the road)

sheer (cause to sheer)

dock (maneuver into a dock)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP

Derivation:

head (forward movement)

head (the front of a military formation or procession)

head (the part in the front or nearest the viewer)

heading (the direction or path along which something moves or along which it lies)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Take its rise

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Context example:

These rivers head from a mountain range in the Himalayas

Hypernyms (to "head" is one way to...):

arise; develop; grow; originate; rise; spring up; uprise (come into existence; take on form or shape)

Sentence frame:

Something is ----ing PP

Sense 7

Meaning:

Be in the front of or on top of

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Context example:

The list was headed by the name of the president

Hypernyms (to "head" is one way to...):

lie (be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "head"):

surmount (be on top of)

crown (form the topmost part of)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

head (the part in the front or nearest the viewer)

head (the top of something)

header; heading (a line of text serving to indicate what the passage below it is about)

Sense 8

Meaning:

Form a head or come or grow to a head

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Context example:

The wheat headed early this year

Hypernyms (to "head" is one way to...):

form (assume a form or shape)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Sense 9

Meaning:

Remove the head of

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Context example:

head the fish

Hypernyms (to "head" is one way to...):

remove; take; take away; withdraw (remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

 Context examples 

Lestrade shook his head, though it seemed to me that his manner was less absolutely assured than before.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

There was nothing in the office but a couple of wooden chairs and a deal table, behind which sat a small man with a head that was even redder than mine.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

I have no doubt that this woman had plunged him over head and ears in debt, and so led him into this miserable plot.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

He had stretched out on his bunk to rest, lying on his side, his head on his arm.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

It appears you are heading to a high-level position of responsibility and influence.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

His head and arms and legs were jointed upon his body, but he stood perfectly motionless, as if he could not stir at all.

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

Out of gratitude for the favours you have done me, I procured information of the whole proceedings, and a copy of the articles; wherein I venture my head for your service.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

For the first several times they walked freely, side by side, and after that it was arms around the waists, and heads against the fellows' shoulders where the streets were unlighted.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

“And was David good to you, child?” asked Miss Betsey, when she had been silent for a little while, and these motions of her head had gradually ceased.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

He hid his head between his paws and yelped.

(White Fang, by Jack London)