Definition

Noun: 1. An amount that fills or covers the head: A quantity of something (typically hair, but can be other things) that is sufficient to cover the surface of one's head. 2. The quantity of information that a mind can hold or contain: A large or complete amount of knowledge, facts, or memories stored in one's brain.

Usage Examples

• Referring to hair or a covering:
  • She has a headful of beautiful, thick hair.
  • After the walk in the woods, he came back with a headful of burrs.
• Referring to information or thoughts:
  • The veteran reporter has a headful of stories from his decades on the job.
  • I went to bed with a headful of worries about the upcoming exam.

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used to emphasize abundance, whether of physical material on the head or of intangible content in the mind. It can carry a slightly informal or literary tone.
• It can be used metaphorically to describe being preoccupied or filled with thoughts.
  • He's walking around with a headful of dreams and schemes.

Variants and Related Words

• Head (n.): The primary word, referring to the part of the body or the mind/intellect.
• -ful (suffix): A suffix meaning "full of" or "the amount that fills," as in , , .

Synonyms

• For hair/covering: A mass of, a mane of, a thick growth of.
• For information: A mind full of, a store of, a repository of, a wealth of (knowledge).

Notes on Meaning

• The first meaning (a covering for the head) is concrete and visual.
• The second meaning (a quantity of information) is abstract, relating to mental capacity or content. This usage treats the mind ("head") as a container.

Noun

1. a covering over the surface of your head
   • a headful of tight curls
   • a headful of lice
2. the quantity of information that a head will hold
   • he has a headful of baseball statistics