head

Meaning

Noun

1. (countable) The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth, and main sense organs.
2. (countable, uncountable) The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth, and main sense organs.
3. (countable, figuratively, metonymically, uncountable) The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth, and main sense organs.
4. (countable, uncountable) The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth, and main sense organs.
5. (countable, uncountable) The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth, and main sense organs.
6. (countable, figuratively, metonymically, uncountable) The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth, and main sense organs.
7. (countable, uncountable) The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth, and main sense organs.
8. (countable, uncountable) The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth, and main sense organs.
9. (countable, uncountable) The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth, and main sense organs.
10. (countable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
11. (countable, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
12. (countable, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
13. (countable, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
14. (countable, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
15. (countable, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
16. (countable, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
17. (countable, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
18. (countable, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
19. (countable, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
20. (countable, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
21. (countable, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
22. (countable, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
23. (countable, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
24. (countable, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
25. (countable, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
26. (British, countable, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
27. (abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
28. (countable, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
29. (countable, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
30. (countable, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
31. (countable, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
32. (British, countable, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
33. (countable, uncountable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
34. (countable, metonymically) A leader or expert.
35. (countable, metonymically, uncountable) A leader or expert.
36. (Ireland, UK, countable, metonymically, uncountable) A leader or expert.
37. (countable, figuratively, metonymically, slang, uncountable) A leader or expert.
38. (countable, uncountable) A significant or important part.
39. (countable, uncountable) A significant or important part.
40. (countable, uncountable) A significant or important part.
41. (countable, uncountable) A significant or important part.
42. (countable, uncountable) A significant or important part.
43. (countable, uncountable) A significant or important part.
44. (countable, in-plural, uncountable) A significant or important part.
45. (countable, uncountable) A significant or important part.
46. (countable, uncountable) A significant or important part.
47. (countable, uncountable) A significant or important part.
48. (countable, uncountable) Headway; progress.
49. (countable, uncountable) Topic; subject.
50. (countable, singular, uncountable) Denouement; crisis.
51. (countable, uncountable) Pressure and energy.
52. (countable, uncountable) Pressure and energy.
53. (countable, uncountable) Pressure and energy.
54. (slang, uncountable, vulgar) Fellatio or cunnilingus; oral sex.
55. (countable, slang, uncountable) The glans penis.
56. (countable, slang) A heavy or habitual user of illicit drugs.
57. (countable, obsolete, uncountable) Power; armed force.

Adj

Of, relating to, or intended for the head.

Verb

1. (transitive) To be in command of. (See also head up.)
2. (transitive) To come at the beginning or front of; to commence.
3. (transitive) To strike with the head
4. (intransitive) To move in a specified direction.
5. (transitive) To remove the head from (a fish).
6. (intransitive) To originate; to spring; to have its course, as a river.
7. (intransitive) To form a head.
8. (transitive) To form a head (on or to); to fit or furnish (something) with a head.
9. (transitive) To cut off the top of; to lop off.
10. (obsolete, transitive) To behead; to decapitate.
11. To go in front of.
12. To get in the front of, so as to hinder or stop; to oppose.
13. (broadly) To check or restrain.
14. To set on the head.

Adj

1. (not-comparable) Foremost in rank or importance.
2. (not-comparable) Placed at the top or the front.
3. (not-comparable) Coming from in front.

Opposite of

base, bottom, underside, foot, tail, point, tip, subordinate

Synonyms

chief

leader

boss

top

🔝

lead

director

skull

💀

manager

direct

master

guide

commander

pate

captain

principal

brain

🧠

mind

main

end

🔚

brains

superior

ruler

point

lord

president

front

heading

hair

crown

👑

supervisor

ringleader

chairman

conduct

tip

intellect

person in authority

steer

summit

forehead

administrator

face

apex

person

🧑‍🦱

head up

header

chieftain

senior

caput

source

first

1st

Translations

tête

cabeza

Kopf

hoofd

testa

cabeça

chef

capo

Haupt

cap

caput

κεφάλι

jefe

Leiter

🪜

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈhɛd/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: hed

Inherited from Old English: hēafod

Cognate with Scots: heid

Cognate with Old English: hafola

Cognate with Northern Frisian: hood

Cognate with Dutch: hoofd

Cognate with German: Haupt

Cognate with Swedish: huvud

Cognate with Danish: hoved

Cognate with Icelandic: höfuð

Cognate with Latin: caput

Cognate with Sanskrit: कपाल

Cognate with Hindi: कपाल

Inherited from Middle English: heed

Inherited from Old English: hēafod-

Cognate with Saterland Frisian: hööft-

Cognate with Western Frisian: haad-

Cognate with Dutch: hoofd-

Cognate with German: haupt-

In summary

Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *kap-
Proto-Indo-European *káput-
Proto-Germanic *haubudą
Old English hēafod
Middle English heed
English head
From Middle English hed, from Old English hēafd-, hēafod (“head; top; chief”), from Proto-West Germanic *haubud, from Proto-Germanic *haubudą (“head”), from Proto-Indo-European *káput.
The modern word comes from Old English oblique stem hēafd-; the expected Modern English outcome for hēafod would be *heaved (similar to the Middle English word). Doublet of cape, capo, caput, chef, chief, and Howth.
Cognate with Scots heid, hede, hevid, heved (“head”), Old English hafola (“head”), North Frisian hood (“head”), Dutch hoofd (“head”), German Haupt (“head”), Swedish huvud (“head”), Danish hoved (“head”), Icelandic höfuð (“head”), Latin caput (“head”), Sanskrit कपाल (kapāla, “skull”), Hindi कपाल (kapāl, “skull”).

Sentences

The government head of its legal wing is the Attorney General of India .

This raven has very short feathers on the head , throat and neck .

The painter gets upset and bangs his head against the mailbox outside .

The head coach was Kippy Brown .

She wears upon her head a mural crown and veil .

DeBerry was promoted to head coach .