Definition

1. Noun:

   • The upper part of the human body, or the front part of an animal's body, containing the brain, eyes, ears, nose, and mouth: The part of the body that is joined to the neck.
   • The mind or mental ability: Used to refer to a person's intellect, thoughts, or memory.
   • A person in charge or a leader: The person who leads, commands, or is at the top of an organization, group, or list.
   • The top, front, or most important part of something: The end or part of an object that is considered the top, front, or beginning.
   • A single person or animal when counted: Used as a unit for counting people or livestock.
   • The source of a river or stream: The place where a river begins.
   • The rounded mass of leaves or flowers at the top of a plant: A dense cluster, as in a head of lettuce or cauliflower.
   • The foam on top of a poured drink, especially beer: The layer of bubbles that forms.
   • The striking part of a tool: The part of a tool, like a hammer or axe, that delivers the impact.
   • A critical or decisive point: A moment of crisis or a turning point.

2. Verb:

   • To be in charge of or lead something: To have the position of leader or commander.
   • To be at the front or top of something: To be positioned at the beginning or highest point of a list, line, or group.
   • To move or travel in a particular direction: To go toward a specific place.
   • To form a head: For a plant to develop its dense cluster of leaves or flowers.
   • To remove the head from something: To cut off the head, typically of an animal or fish.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • She has a headache. (She has pain in the upper part of her body containing the brain.)
  • He has a good head for business. (He has strong mental ability for business.)
  • She is the head of the department. (She is the person in charge of the department.)
  • Write your name at the head of the page. (Write your name at the top part of the page.)
  • The farm has fifty head of cattle. (The farm has fifty individual cattle.)
  • We hiked to the head of the river. (We hiked to the source where the river begins.)
  • Please buy a head of cabbage. (Please buy one dense cluster of cabbage leaves.)
  • The beer had a thick head. (The beer had a thick layer of foam on top.)
  • The head of the axe is made of steel. (The striking part of the axe is made of steel.)
  • The dispute came to a head. (The dispute reached a critical point.)

• Verb:

  • He will head the new committee. (He will be in charge of the new committee.)
  • Her name heads the list of candidates. (Her name is at the top of the list of candidates.)
  • We are heading home. (We are moving in the direction of home.)
  • The lettuce is starting to head. (The lettuce plant is beginning to form its dense cluster of leaves.)
  • The fisherman headed the fish before cooking it. (The fisherman removed the fish's head before cooking it.)

Advanced Usage

• "To be over one's head": To be involved in something too difficult to understand or manage.

  • The advanced physics lecture was over my head. (The lecture was too difficult for me to understand.)

• "To keep one's head": To remain calm in a difficult or dangerous situation.

  • During the emergency, she kept her head and helped everyone. (She stayed calm and helped.)

• "To head off": To prevent something from happening or to intercept someone.

  • The manager tried to head off a potential conflict. (The manager tried to prevent a conflict.)

Variants and Related Words

• Headache (n): A pain in the head.

  • I have a terrible headache.

• Heading (n): A title at the top of a page or section.

  • The chapter heading was in bold letters.

• Headfirst (adv): With the head leading; impulsively.

  • He dove headfirst into the pool.

• Headstrong (adj): Determined to have one's own way; stubborn.

  • The headstrong child refused to listen.

Synonyms

• Noun (Leader): Chief, director, boss.
• Noun (Mind): Intellect, mind, brain.
• Verb (Lead): Direct, manage, oversee.
• Verb (Go toward): Proceed, go, move.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Head for: To move toward a place.

  • Dark clouds mean we're heading for a storm. (Dark clouds mean a storm is approaching.)

• Head up: To lead or be in charge of a project or team.

  • She was asked to head up the marketing campaign. (She was asked to lead the campaign.)

Related Idioms

• "Head over heels": Deeply in love; or, turning upside down.

  • He fell head over heels in love. (He fell completely in love.)

• "Off the top of one's head": Speaking immediately without careful thought or research.

  • Off the top of my head, I'd say about twenty people were there. (My immediate, unconfirmed guess is twenty.)

• "To hit the nail on the head": To describe exactly what is causing a situation or problem.

  • Your analysis hit the nail on the head. (Your analysis was exactly correct.)

Verb

1. remove the head of
   • head the fish
2. form a head or come or grow to a head
   • The wheat headed early this year
3. be in the front of or on top of
   • The list was headed by the name of the president
4. take its rise
   • These rivers head from a mountain range in the Himalayas
5. direct the course; determine the direction of travelling
6. be the first or leading member of (a group) and excel
   • This student heads the class
7. travel in front of; go in advance of others
   • The procession was headed by John
8. be in charge of
   • Who is heading this project?
9. to go or travel towards
   • where is she heading
   • We were headed for the mountains

Noun

1. oral stimulation of the genitals
   • they say he gives good head
2. a membrane that is stretched taut over a drum
3. a projection out from one end
   • the head of the nail, a pinhead is the head of a pin
4. (nautical) a toilet on board a boat or ship
5. the striking part of a tool
   • the head of the hammer
6. (usually plural) the obverse side of a coin that usually bears the representation of a person's head
   • call heads or tails!
7. (computer science) a tiny electromagnetic coil and metal pole used to write and read magnetic patterns on a disk
8. that part of a skeletal muscle that is away from the bone that it moves
9. the rounded end of a bone that fits into a rounded cavity in another bone to form a joint
   • the head of the humerus
10. 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
11. the subject matter at issue
    • the question of disease merits serious discussion
    • under the head of minor Roman poets
12. a V-shaped mark at one end of an arrow pointer
    • the point of the arrow was due north
13. forward movement
    • the ship made little headway against the gale
14. a difficult juncture
    • a pretty pass
    • matters came to a head yesterday
15. the part in the front or nearest the viewer
    • he was in the forefront
    • he was at the head of the column
16. 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
17. a rounded compact mass
    • the head of a comet
18. a natural elevation (especially a rocky one that juts out into the sea)
19. a user of (usually soft) drugs
    • the office was full of secret heads
20. an individual person
    • tickets are $5 per head
21. the educator who has executive authority for a school
    • she sent unruly pupils to see the principal
22. a dense cluster of flowers or foliage
    • a head of cauliflower
    • a head of lettuce
23. 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
24. the tip of an abscess (where the pus accumulates)
25. (grammar) the word in a grammatical constituent that plays the same grammatical role as the whole constituent
26. the source of water from which a stream arises
    • they tracked him back toward the head of the stream
27. the top of something
    • the head of the stairs
    • the head of the page
    • the head of the list
28. the pressure exerted by a fluid
    • a head of steam
29. the front of a military formation or procession
    • the head of the column advanced boldly
    • they were at the head of the attack
30. a person who is in charge
    • the head of the whole operation
31. that which is responsible for one's thoughts and feelings; the seat of the faculty of reason
    • his mind wandered
    • I couldn't get his words out of my head
32. a single domestic animal
    • 200 head of cattle
33. 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