head

noun

UK/hed/
US/hed/

Definitions of head noun

body part

  1. A1Countable

    The part of the body located above the neck, containing the eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and brain.

    • Wear this hat to keep your head warm.

    • He bumped his head while getting into the car.

    • She nodded or shook her head to indicate agreement or disagreement.

  2. Singular

    An individual person or animal, considered as a single unit.

    • Dinner will cost £25 per head.

    • I quickly did a headcount.

    • They have one hundred head of cattle.

  3. Singular

    A measurement of length or height equal to the size of a head.

    • Her horse won by a head's length.

    • Paul is a head taller than Andrew.

    • The runner was ahead by about a head.

mind

  1. B1Countable

    The mind and its cognitive abilities.

    • You need a clear head to drive safely.

    • What put that idea into your head?

    • I can't get that tune/that person out of my head.

leader

  1. B1Countable

    A person who is in charge of or leads an organization, group, or team.

    • the head of the history department

    • the head chef

    • His first season as head coach.

  2. A2Countable

    a headteacher UK

top part

  1. C2Singular

    The top part or the beginning of something.

    • the head of the queue

    • the head of the page

    • Diana, the guest of honour, sat at the head of the table.

  2. Countable

    The larger end of a nail, hammer, or similar object.

  3. Countable

    The top part of a plant where a flower or leaves grow.

    • a head of lettuce

    • a head of cauliflower

  4. Countable

    The layer of white bubbles on top of beer after it has been poured.

  5. Countable

    The upper part of a river, where it begins.

  6. Countable

    The top part of a spot when it contains pus.

device

  1. Countable

    The part of a tape or video recorder that touches the tape to record and play sound or pictures.

grammar

  1. Countablelanguagespecialized

    The main part of the phrase, to which the other parts are related.

Phrases of head noun

  • heads

    The side of a coin that depicts a person's head; the obverse side of a coin.

    Heads came up, so our team gets to decide who serves first.

  • head boy/girl

    In the UK, a student, either male or female, who often represents their school at formal events.

    This year, the head boy will be Li Ming.

verb

UK/hed/
US/hed/

Definitions of head verb

go

  1. B2IntransitiveVerb + adv/prep

    To move in a particular direction.

    • I was heading out of the room when she called me back.

    • We were heading towards Kumasi when our truck broke down.

    • He headed straight for the fridge.

leader

  1. B2Transitive

    To be in charge of a group or organization.

    • She heads one of Britain's leading travel firms.

    • Judge Hawthorne was chosen to head the team investigating allegations of abuse.

    • She heads the marketing department of the company.

top part

  1. C1Transitive

    To be at the front or top of something.

    • The royal carriage headed the procession.

    • Jo's name headed the list of candidates.

    • The agenda of the meeting was headed by the chairman's report.

sport

  1. Transitive

    To hit a ball with your head.

    • Rooney headed the ball into the back of the net.

    • He tried to head the ball but missed it.

suffix

UK/-hed/
US/-hed/

Definitions of head suffix

  1. A person with a particular strong interest or addiction.

    • a crack-head

    • a fitness-head

Idioms

  • Heads will roll!

    This idiom indicates that someone will be punished due to a negative event.

    After this major blunder, heads will certainly roll.

  • head over heels (in love)

    Completely and intensely in love with someone.

    He's been head over heels in love with her since the moment they first met.

  • have your head screwed on (the right way)

    To be practical, sensible, and have good judgment.

    She always has her head screwed on the right way when dealing with financial issues.

  • from head to toe

    Refers to the entirety of one's body, from the top of the head to the tips of the toes.

    She wore a sparkling dress and was radiant from head to toe.

  • heads or tails?

    This phrase is used when flipping a coin to ask someone to guess whether the coin will land heads up or tails up.

    We'll flip a coin to decide who goes first, heads or tails?

  • keep your head down

    To avoid attracting attention or causing trouble, typically by not being prominent or outspoken.

    During the project review, I decided to keep my head down to avoid any unnecessary attention.

  • give head

    To perform oral sex, typically referring to either cunnilingus performed on a woman or fellatio performed on a man.

    During their intimate moment, he offered to give her head.

  • have your head in the clouds

    To be out of touch with reality and immersed in daydreams or fantasies.

    She's always distracted, it's like she has her head in the clouds.

  • head and shoulders above

    Signifies that someone or something is considerably superior to others, exhibiting a marked degree of excellence.

    In terms of academic achievement, she is head and shoulders above her classmates.

  • get your head down

    To focus all one's energy and effort on a specific task.

    I need to get my head down and finish this proposal to meet the deadline.

  • Heads I win, tails you lose

    Describes a situation where one is guaranteed to benefit regardless of the outcome.

    The agreement is a case of 'heads I win, tails you lose' for them; they profit no matter what.

  • put their heads together

    To collaborate and brainstorm together in order to make a plan or solve a problem.

    We need to put our heads together to tackle this complex project.

  • over your head

    Too complex or incomprehensible for someone to understand.

    The quantum physics lecture was completely over my head; I couldn't understand a thing.

  • come to a head

    To reach a critical point where a decision or action must be taken; to bring a situation to a crisis point.

    The tension between the two parties had been building, and this argument finally brought things to a head.

  • take it into your head to do something

    To suddenly and impulsively decide to do something, often something unexpected or foolish.

    She took it into her head to quit her job and travel.

  • keep your head

    To remain calm and composed in a challenging or stressful situation.

    Despite facing a financial crisis, he kept his head and devised a plan to solve the problem.

  • get something into your head

    To finally understand or accept something, often after a period of doubt or resistance.

    When will you finally get it into your head that he's really gone?

  • can't make head nor tail of something

    To be completely unable to understand something; to find something very confusing or nonsensical.

    The contract is written so complexly that I can't make head nor tail of it.

  • laugh, shout, scream, etc. your head off

    To express strong emotions such as amusement, excitement, or distress by laughing, shouting, or screaming in a loud and prolonged manner.

    They laughed their heads off when they heard the joke.

  • a head of steam

    The force generated by a large quantity of steam within an enclosed space.

    Old trains need a good head of steam to be able to run.

  • an old/a wise head on young shoulders

    Describing a young person who demonstrates maturity in thought, speech, or behavior that is beyond their age.

    Although he is only 10 years old, he has a level of maturity and understanding beyond his years; he truly has an old head on young shoulders.

  • be banging, etc. your head against a brick wall

    To try to do something that is very difficult or impossible to achieve, often leading to frustration and annoyance.

    I tried to convince him to change his mind, but it was like banging my head against a brick wall; he wouldn't listen.

  • be in over your head

    to be in a situation that is too difficult to manage or cope with.

    He didn't realize he was in over his head when he took on the project.

  • be off your head

    To behave in a crazy or irrational manner.

    He must be off his head to try swimming in this storm.

  • bite/snap someone's head off

    To speak to someone in a sudden, angry, and critical manner.

    I just asked if he could help, but he snapped my head off.

  • bury/have your head in the sand

    To ignore or avoid unpleasant realities or problems, often with the intent to evade responsibility or discomfort.

    Faced with financial difficulties, he chose to bury his head in the sand, refusing to seek help.

  • can't get your head around sth

    To be unable to comprehend or understand something.

    I just can't get my head around why he made such a decision.

  • do someone's head in

    To cause someone to feel confused, annoyed, or frustrated.

    This constant noise is doing my head in.

  • a full, good, thick, etc. head of hair

    A large amount of hair, typically described as being thick and full.

    He used to have a full head of hair when he was younger, but it's starting to thin now.

  • get it into your thick head

    to make someone understand something, especially when they have been told many times before and the speaker is annoyed

    I don't know how to get it into your thick head that you can't use your phone during meetings!

  • get/put your head down

    To sleep or rest for a short period of time.

    I'm so tired, I need to put my head down for a bit.

  • give someone their head

    To allow someone to act freely according to their own wishes without interference or guidance.

    The young artist was given their head to develop their own style.

  • give someone a heads up

    To inform someone in advance about something that is about to happen, usually to allow them to prepare.

    I just wanted to give you a heads up that next week's meeting has been moved to Wednesday.

  • go over someone's head

    To bypass a person's direct superior and address someone of higher authority.

    I was unhappy with the manager rejecting my proposal, so I went over their head and reported directly to the CEO.

  • go to someone's head

    To cause someone to become arrogant or conceited due to fame, success, or other achievements.

    After she got the job, it started to go to her head a little bit.

  • have your business, sensible, etc. head on

    To consider a situation with a focus on practical, business-minded, or sensible thinking.

    Before deciding whether to invest, I need to have my business head on and carefully assess the risks.

  • have your head (buried/stuck) in a book

    To be completely engrossed in reading a book; to be deeply absorbed in reading.

    He always has his head buried in a book, barely noticing I came in.

  • head first

    With the head leading or going in front of the rest of the body.

    He jumped head first into the cold river.

  • heads I win, tails you lose

    Describes a situation where the outcome will always benefit oneself, while the other party will inevitably be at a disadvantage.

    This contract is essentially 'heads I win, tails you lose'; we should reject it.

  • heads will roll!

    This idiom is used to indicate that people will be punished as a consequence of a negative event.

    After this major blunder, heads will roll!

Phrasal Verbs of head

  • head for something

    If you are on course for an adverse situation, it means you are likely to encounter it soon due to your own actions or behavior.

    If you don't study on time, you are heading for failure in the exam.

  • head off

    to embark on a trip or depart from a location

    We will head off tomorrow morning to begin our journey.

  • head something off

    to avert or intercept a challenging or undesirable situation from occurring.

    She stepped in quickly to head off the situation before it got out of control.

  • head someone/something off

    to compel someone or something to alter their trajectory

    We need to find a way to head them off before they reach their destination.

  • head something up

    to manage or direct a team, a division within a company, etc.

    She was appointed to head up the department, responsible for leading the overall implementation of the project.