the upper part of the body in humans, joined to the trunk by the neck, containing the brain, eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.
2.
the corresponding part of the body in other animals.
3.
the head considered as the center of the intellect, as of thought, memory, understanding, or emotional control; mind; brain: She has a good head for mathematics. Keep a cool head in an emergency.
4.
the position or place of leadership, greatest authority, or honor.
5.
a person to whom others are subordinate, as the director of an institution or the manager of a department; leader or chief.
6.
a person considered with reference to his or her mind, disposition, attributes, status, etc.: wise heads; crowned heads.
7.
that part of anything that forms or is regarded as forming the top, summit, or upper end: head of a pin; head of a page.
8.
the foremost part or front end of anything or a forward projecting part: head of a procession.
9.
the part of a weapon, tool, etc., used for striking: the head of a hammer.
10.
a person or animal considered merely as one of a number, herd, or group: ten head of cattle; a dinner at $20 a head.
11.
a culminating point, usually of a critical nature; crisis or climax: to bring matters to a head.
12.
the hair covering the head: to wash one's head.
13.
froth or foam at the top of a liquid: the head on beer.
14.
Botany.
a.
any dense flower cluster or inflorescence.
b.
any other compact part of a plant, usually at the top of the stem, as that composed of leaves in the cabbage or lettuce, of leafstalks in the celery, or of flower buds in the cauliflower.
15.
the maturated part of an abscess, boil, etc.
16.
a projecting point of a coast, esp. when high, as a cape, headland, or promontory.
17.
the obverse of a coin, as bearing a head or other principal figure (opposed to tail).
18.
one of the chief parts or points of a written or oral discourse; a main division of a subject, theme, or topic.
19.
something resembling a head in form or a representation of a head, as a piece of sculpture.
20.
the source of a river or stream.
21.
Slang.
a.
a habitual user of a drug, esp. LSD or marijuana (often used in combination): feds versus the heads; an acid-head; a pothead.
b.
a fan or devotee (usually used in combination): a punk-rock head; a chili head.
22.
heads, Distilling. alcohol produced during the initial fermentation. Compare tail1(def. 6d).
Archaic. power, strength, or force progressively gathered or gradually attained.
38.
heads up! Informal. be careful! watch out for danger!
–adjective
39.
first in rank or position; chief; leading; principal: a head official.
40.
of, pertaining to, or for the head (often used in combination): head covering; headgear; headpiece.
41.
situated at the top, front, or head of anything (often used in combination): headline; headboard.
42.
moving or coming from a direction in front of the head or prow of a vessel: head sea; head tide; head current.
43.
Slang. of or pertaining to drugs, drug paraphernalia, or drug users.
–verb (used with object)
44.
to go at the head of or in front of; lead; precede: to head a list.
45.
to outdo or excel; take the lead in or over: to head a race; to head one's competitors in a field.
46.
to be the head or chief of (sometimes fol. by up): to head a school; to head up a department.
47.
to direct the course of; turn the head or front of in a specified direction: I'll head the boat for the shore. Head me in the right direction and I'll walk to the store.
48.
to go around the head of (a stream).
49.
to furnish or fit with a head.
50.
to take the head off; decapitate; behead.
51.
to remove the upper branches of (a tree).
52.
Fox Hunting. to turn aside (a fox) from its intended course.
53.
to get in front of in order to stop, turn aside, attack, etc.
Soccer. to propel (the ball) by striking it with the head, esp. with the forehead.
–verb (used without object)
56.
to move forward toward a point specified; direct one's course; go in a certain direction: to head toward town.
57.
to come or grow to a head; form a head: Cabbage heads quickly.
58.
(of a river or stream) to have the head or source where specified.
—Verb phrase
59.
head off, to go before in order to hinder the progress of; intercept: The police headed off the fleeing driver at a railroad crossing.
—Idioms
60.
by or down by the head, Nautical. so loaded as to draw more water forward than aft.
61.
come to a head,
a.
to suppurate, as a boil.
b.
to reach a crisis; culminate: The struggle for power came to a head.
62.
get one's head together, Slang. to have one's actions, thoughts, or emotions under control or in order: If he'd get his head together, maybe he'd get to work on time.
63.
give head, Slang:Vulgar. perform fellatio.
64.
give someone his or her head, to permit someone to do as he or she likes; allow someone freedom of choice: She wanted to go away to college, and her parents gave her her head.
65.
go to someone's head,
a.
to make someone dizzy or drunk; overcome one with excitement: Power went to his head. The brandy went to his head.
b.
to make someone conceited or self-important: Success went to his head.
66.
hang one's head, to become dejected or ashamed: When he realized what an unkind thing he had done, he hung his head in shame. Also, hide one's head.
67.
head and shoulders,
a.
far better, more qualified, etc.; superior: In intelligence, he was head and shoulders above the rest of the children in the class.
b.
Archaic. by force.
68.
head over heels,
a.
headlong, as in a somersault: He tripped and fell head over heels into the gully.
b.
intensely; completely: head over heels in love.
c.
impulsively; carelessly: They plunged head over heels into the fighting.
69.
head to head, in direct opposition or competition: The candidates will debate head to head.
70.
keep one's head, to remain calm or poised, as in the midst of crisis or confusion: It was fortunate that someone kept his head and called a doctor.
71.
keep one's head above water, to remain financially solvent: Despite their debts, they are managing to keep their heads above water.
72.
lay or put heads together, to meet in order to discuss, consult, or scheme: Neither of them had enough money for a tour of Europe, so they put their heads together and decided to find jobs there.
73.
lose one's head, to become uncontrolled or wildly excited: When he thought he saw an animal in the underbrush, he lost his head and began shooting recklessly.
74.
make head, to progress or advance, esp. despite opposition; make headway: There have been many delays, but we are at last making head.
75.
make heads roll, to exert authority by firing or dismissing employees or subordinates: He made heads roll as soon as he took office.
76.
not make head or tail of, to be unable to understand or decipher: We couldn't make head or tail of the strange story. Also, not make heads or tails of.
77.
off the top of one's head, candidly or extemporaneously: Off the top of my head, I'd say that's right.
78.
one's head off, extremely; excessively: We screamed our heads off at that horror movie. He laughed his head off at the monkey's antics.
79.
on one's head, as one's responsibility or fault: Because of his reckless driving he now has the deaths of three persons on his head.
80.
out of one's head or mind,
a.
insane; crazy.
b.
Informal. delirious; irrational: You're out of your head if you accept those terms.
81.
over one's head,
a.
beyond one's comprehension, ability, or resources: The classical allusion went right over his head.
b.
beyond one's financial resources or ability to pay: He's lost over his head in that poker game.
82.
over someone's head, to appeal to someone having a superior position or prior claim: She went over her supervisor's head and complained to a vice president.
83.
pull one's head in, AustralianSlang. to keep quiet or mind one's own business; shut up.
84.
take it into one's head, to form a notion, purpose, or plan: She took it into her head to study medicine. Also, take into one's head.
85.
turn someone's head,
a.
to cause someone to become smug or conceited: Her recent success has completely turned her head.
b.
to cause one to become foolish or confused: A whirlwind romance has quite turned his head.
Origin: bef. 900; ME he(v)ed, OE hēafod; c. OHG houbit, Goth haubith; akin to OE hafud- (in hafudland headland), ON hǫfuth, L caput (see capital1)
The uppermost or forwardmost part of the body of a vertebrate, containing the brain and the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and jaws.
The analogous part of an invertebrate organism.
The length or height of such a part: The horse lost by a head. She is two heads taller than he is.
A habitual drug user. Often used in combination: a dopehead.
An enthusiast. Often used in combination: a chilihead.
An individual; a person: charged five dollars a head.
pl.head A single animal: 20 head of cattle.
A person who leads, rules, or is in charge; a leader, chief, or director: the head of the corporation.
A headmaster or headmistress.
The difference in depth of a liquid at two given points.
Abbr. hd. The measure of pressure at the lower point expressed in terms of this difference.
The pressure exerted by a liquid or gas: a head of steam.
The liquid or gas exerting the pressure.
A projection, weight, or fixture at the end of an elongated object: the head of a pin; a head of land overlooking the harbor.
The working end of a tool or implement: the head of a hammer.
The part of an explosive device that carries the explosive; a warhead.
The part of a stringed instrument where the strings are wound; a tuning head.
A tuning machine.
The rounded proximal end of a long bone: the head of the femur.
The end of a muscle that is attached to the less movable part of the skeleton.
An attachment to or part of a machine that holds or contains the operative device.
The magnetic head of a tape recorder or VCR.
The device in a magnetic disk or tape drive that enables it to read data from and write data to the disk or tape.
The forward part of a vessel.
The top part or upper edge of a sail.
The top of a book or page.
A headline or heading.
A distinct topic or category: under the head of recent Spanish history.
The seat of the faculty of reason; intelligence, intellect, or mind: I did the figuring in my head.
Mental ability or aptitude: She has a good head for mathematics.
Freedom of choice or action: Give the child his head and see how well he solves the problems.
Slang
A habitual drug user. Often used in combination: a dopehead.
An enthusiast. Often used in combination: a chilihead.
An individual; a person: charged five dollars a head.
pl.head A single animal: 20 head of cattle.
A person who leads, rules, or is in charge; a leader, chief, or director: the head of the corporation.
A headmaster or headmistress.
The difference in depth of a liquid at two given points.
Abbr. hd. The measure of pressure at the lower point expressed in terms of this difference.
The pressure exerted by a liquid or gas: a head of steam.
The liquid or gas exerting the pressure.
A projection, weight, or fixture at the end of an elongated object: the head of a pin; a head of land overlooking the harbor.
The working end of a tool or implement: the head of a hammer.
The part of an explosive device that carries the explosive; a warhead.
The part of a stringed instrument where the strings are wound; a tuning head.
A tuning machine.
The rounded proximal end of a long bone: the head of the femur.
The end of a muscle that is attached to the less movable part of the skeleton.
An attachment to or part of a machine that holds or contains the operative device.
The magnetic head of a tape recorder or VCR.
The device in a magnetic disk or tape drive that enables it to read data from and write data to the disk or tape.
The forward part of a vessel.
The top part or upper edge of a sail.
The top of a book or page.
A headline or heading.
A distinct topic or category: under the head of recent Spanish history.
A person considered foolish or contemptible. Often used in combination: a chowderhead.
A portrait or representation of a person's head.
(used with a sing. verb) The side of a coin having the principal design, often of the head of a famous person, and the date. Often used in the plural with a singular verb.
Informal A headache: had a bad head early this morning.
An individual; a person: charged five dollars a head.
pl.head A single animal: 20 head of cattle.
A person who leads, rules, or is in charge; a leader, chief, or director: the head of the corporation.
A headmaster or headmistress.
The difference in depth of a liquid at two given points.
Abbr. hd. The measure of pressure at the lower point expressed in terms of this difference.
The pressure exerted by a liquid or gas: a head of steam.
The liquid or gas exerting the pressure.
A projection, weight, or fixture at the end of an elongated object: the head of a pin; a head of land overlooking the harbor.
The working end of a tool or implement: the head of a hammer.
The part of an explosive device that carries the explosive; a warhead.
The part of a stringed instrument where the strings are wound; a tuning head.
A tuning machine.
The rounded proximal end of a long bone: the head of the femur.
The end of a muscle that is attached to the less movable part of the skeleton.
An attachment to or part of a machine that holds or contains the operative device.
The magnetic head of a tape recorder or VCR.
The device in a magnetic disk or tape drive that enables it to read data from and write data to the disk or tape.
The forward part of a vessel.
The top part or upper edge of a sail.
The top of a book or page.
A headline or heading.
A distinct topic or category: under the head of recent Spanish history.
A person who leads, rules, or is in charge; a leader, chief, or director: the head of the corporation.
A headmaster or headmistress.
The difference in depth of a liquid at two given points.
Abbr. hd. The measure of pressure at the lower point expressed in terms of this difference.
The pressure exerted by a liquid or gas: a head of steam.
The liquid or gas exerting the pressure.
A projection, weight, or fixture at the end of an elongated object: the head of a pin; a head of land overlooking the harbor.
The working end of a tool or implement: the head of a hammer.
The part of an explosive device that carries the explosive; a warhead.
The part of a stringed instrument where the strings are wound; a tuning head.
A tuning machine.
The rounded proximal end of a long bone: the head of the femur.
The end of a muscle that is attached to the less movable part of the skeleton.
An attachment to or part of a machine that holds or contains the operative device.
The magnetic head of a tape recorder or VCR.
The device in a magnetic disk or tape drive that enables it to read data from and write data to the disk or tape.
The forward part of a vessel.
The top part or upper edge of a sail.
The top of a book or page.
A headline or heading.
A distinct topic or category: under the head of recent Spanish history.
The foremost or leading position: marched at the head of the parade.
A headwaiter.
The difference in depth of a liquid at two given points.
Abbr. hd. The measure of pressure at the lower point expressed in terms of this difference.
The pressure exerted by a liquid or gas: a head of steam.
The liquid or gas exerting the pressure.
A projection, weight, or fixture at the end of an elongated object: the head of a pin; a head of land overlooking the harbor.
The working end of a tool or implement: the head of a hammer.
The part of an explosive device that carries the explosive; a warhead.
The part of a stringed instrument where the strings are wound; a tuning head.
A tuning machine.
The rounded proximal end of a long bone: the head of the femur.
The end of a muscle that is attached to the less movable part of the skeleton.
An attachment to or part of a machine that holds or contains the operative device.
The magnetic head of a tape recorder or VCR.
The device in a magnetic disk or tape drive that enables it to read data from and write data to the disk or tape.
The forward part of a vessel.
The top part or upper edge of a sail.
The top of a book or page.
A headline or heading.
A distinct topic or category: under the head of recent Spanish history.
The froth or foam that rises to the top in pouring an effervescent liquid, such as beer.
The tip of an abscess, boil, or pimple, in which pus forms.
A turning point; a crisis: bring matters to a head. See Synonyms at crisis.
A projection, weight, or fixture at the end of an elongated object: the head of a pin; a head of land overlooking the harbor.
The working end of a tool or implement: the head of a hammer.
The part of an explosive device that carries the explosive; a warhead.
The part of a stringed instrument where the strings are wound; a tuning head.
A tuning machine.
The rounded proximal end of a long bone: the head of the femur.
The end of a muscle that is attached to the less movable part of the skeleton.
An attachment to or part of a machine that holds or contains the operative device.
The magnetic head of a tape recorder or VCR.
The device in a magnetic disk or tape drive that enables it to read data from and write data to the disk or tape.
The forward part of a vessel.
The top part or upper edge of a sail.
The top of a book or page.
A headline or heading.
A distinct topic or category: under the head of recent Spanish history.
Anatomy
The rounded proximal end of a long bone: the head of the femur.
The end of a muscle that is attached to the less movable part of the skeleton.
An attachment to or part of a machine that holds or contains the operative device.
The magnetic head of a tape recorder or VCR.
The device in a magnetic disk or tape drive that enables it to read data from and write data to the disk or tape.
The forward part of a vessel.
The top part or upper edge of a sail.
The top of a book or page.
A headline or heading.
A distinct topic or category: under the head of recent Spanish history.
An attachment to or part of a machine that holds or contains the operative device.
The magnetic head of a tape recorder or VCR.
The device in a magnetic disk or tape drive that enables it to read data from and write data to the disk or tape.
The forward part of a vessel.
The top part or upper edge of a sail.
The top of a book or page.
A headline or heading.
A distinct topic or category: under the head of recent Spanish history.
A rounded compact mass, as of leaves or buds: a head of cabbage.
Botany A flower head.
The uppermost part; the top: Place the appropriate name at the head of each column.
The end considered the most important: sat at the head of the table.
Either end of an object, such as a drum, whose two ends are interchangeable.
Nautical
The forward part of a vessel.
The top part or upper edge of a sail.
The top of a book or page.
A headline or heading.
A distinct topic or category: under the head of recent Spanish history.
A toilet, especially on a ship.
A passage or gallery in a coal mine.
Abbr. hd.Printing
The top of a book or page.
A headline or heading.
A distinct topic or category: under the head of recent Spanish history.
Headway; progress.
Linguistics The word in a construction that has the same grammatical function as the construction as a whole and that determines relationships of concord to other parts of the construction or sentence in which the construction occurs.
Vulgar Slang Oral sex.
adj.
Of, relating to, or intended for the head. Often used in combination: headshaking; headwrap.
Foremost in rank or importance: the head librarian.
Placed at the top or the front: the head name on the list.
Slang Of, relating to, or for drugs or drug users.
v.
head·ed, head·ing, heads
v.
tr.
To be in charge of; lead: The minister headed the committee.
To be in the first or foremost position of: Collins heads the list of job candidates.
To aim, point, or turn in a certain direction: headed the team of horses up the hill.
To remove the head or top of.
Sports To hit (a soccer ball) in the air with one's head.
To provide with a head: head each column with a number; headed the flagpole with a golden ball.
v.
intr.
To proceed or go in a certain direction: head for town.
To form a head, as lettuce or cabbage.
To originate, as a stream or river; rise.
Phrasal Verb(s): head offTo block the progress or completion of; intercept: Try to head him off before he gets home. The town headed off the attempt to build another mall.
Idiom(s):
have a big/swelled headTo be overly self-confident or conceited.
Idiom(s):
head and shoulders aboveFar superior to: head and shoulders above her colleagues in analytical capability.
Idiom(s):
head over heels
Rolling, as in a somersault: tripped and fell head over heels.
Completely; hopelessly: head over heels in love.
Idiom(s):
keep (one's) headTo remain calm; remain in control of oneself.
Idiom(s):
lose (one's) headTo lose one's poise or self-control.
Idiom(s):
off/out of (one's) headInsane; crazy.
Idiom(s):
on (one's) headAs one's responsibility or fault: If this project fails, it's on your head.
Idiom(s):
over (one's) head
Beyond one's comprehension.
Beyond one's financial means.
Idiom(s):
put heads togetherTo consult and plan together: Let's put our heads together and solve this problem.
[Middle English, from Old English hēafod; see kaput- in Indo-European roots.]
head·ing (hěd'ĭng) n.
The title, subtitle, or topic that stands at the top or beginning, as of a paragraph, letter, or chapter.
The course or direction in which a ship or aircraft is moving.
Head"ing\, n. 1. The act or state of one who, or that which, heads; formation of a head. 2. That which stands at the head; title; as, the heading of a paper. 3. Material for the heads of casks, barrels, etc. 4. (Mining.) A gallery, drift, or adit in a mine; also, the end of a drift or gallery; the vein above a drift. 5. (sewing) The extension of a line ruffling above the line of stitch. 6. (Masonry) That end of a stone or brick which is presented outward. --Knight. Heading course (Arch.), a course consisting only of headers. See Header, n. 3 (a) . Heading joint. (a) (Carp.) A joint, as of two or more boards, etc., at right angles to the grain of the wood. (b) (Masonry) A joint between two roussoirs in the same course.
[hed-ing] 
