Meaning of head In English

• 0 the part of the body above the neck where the eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and brain are:

  • Put this hat on to keep your head warm.

  • He banged his head on the car as he was getting in.

  • She nodded/shook her head (= showed her agreement/disagreement).

  • Dinner will cost £20 a/per head (= for each person).

  • I did a quick head count (= calculated how many people there were).

  • They own a hundred head of cattle (= 100 animals).

  • Her horse won by a head.

  • Paul is a head taller than Andrew.

• 1 the mind and mental abilities:

  • You need a clear head to be able to drive safely.

  • What put that (idea) into your head? (= What made you think that?)

  • I can't get that tune/that man out of my head (= I cannot stop hearing the tune in my mind/thinking about that man).

  • Use your head (= think more carefully)!

  • Harriet has a (good) head for figures (= she is very good at calculating numbers).

  • UK Do you have a head for heights (= are you able to be in high places without fear)?

• 2 someone in charge of or leading an organization, group, etc.:

  • the head of the History department

  • the head chef

  • his first season as head coach

• 3 the top part or 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 (= the most important end of it).

  • a head of lettuce

• 4 the side of a coin that has a picture of someone's head on it

• 5 the part of a tape or video recorder (= machine for recording sound or pictures) that touches the tape to record and play music, speech, etc.

• 6 the main part of the phrase, to which the other parts are related

• 7 a narrow area of high land that sticks out into the sea:

  • the chalk cliffs around Beachy Head

• 8 to go 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 (= went towards) the fridge.

  • I think we ought to head back/home (= return to where we started) now, before it gets too dark.

• 9 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 the allegations of abuse.

• 10 to be at the front or top of something:

  • The royal carriage headed the procession.

  • Jo's name headed the list of candidates.

• 11 to hit a ball with your head:

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

• 12 a person with a particular strong interest or addiction:

  • a crack-head (= someone who depends on the drug crack)

• 13 the part of the body that contains the eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and the brain:

  • [ C ] She nodded her head in agreement.

  • [ C ] Carlos is almost a head taller than Manuel.

• 14 the mind and mental abilities:

  • She has a good head for figures.

  • If you’d just use your head (= think clearly and carefully), you would realize that you are better off living where you are.

  • Someone offered me the ticket, and your name popped into my head.

• 15 a position or part at the top, front, or beginning:

  • [ U ] They were early enough to get a place at the head of the line.

  • [ U ] As the guest of honor, he sat at the head of the table (= the more important end).

  • [ C ] I bought two heads of lettuce.

• 16 someone who leads or is in charge of an organization or group, or this position of leadership:

  • In 1990 he was made head of the engineering division.

• 17 to go in a particular direction:

  • I was heading out the door when the phone rang.

  • We decided to head back/home (= return to where we started) before it got too dark.

  • fig. He’s headed for trouble if he gets involved with her.

• 18 to lead or control something:

  • She headed a group that defended the senator against detractors.

• 19 to be at the top, front, or beginning of something:

  • Currently, her name heads the list of candidates for the job.

• 20 main or most important:

  • In his first season as head coach, McGuire guided his team to the regional championship.

• 21 a person who is in charge of a team, department, or an organization:

  • Each department head has a great deal of freedom with regard to decision-making.

  • The proposal awaits final approval by a meeting of EU heads of state next month.

  • If you are a single parent, you can reduce your tax liability by filing as a head of household with a dependent child.

  • a head buyer/cashier/trader

• 22 one person considered as a unit:

  • cost/price/spend per head The region saw incomes per head fall by an average 4 per cent a year over the past decade.

  • The airline offered maximum compensation of £150 a head to anyone whose flight was disrupted by the strike action.

• 23 to be involved in something that is too difficult for you to deal with:

  • He denied fraud saying he was a businessman who just got in over his head.

• 24 to refuse to think about a problem or difficult situation that could have unpleasant effects:

  • The dangers of identity theft are clear but many companies still choose to bury their heads in the sand and act only after there has been a security breach.

• 25 if a difficult situation comes to a head, or someone brings it to a head, it reaches a stage when someone must take strong action to deal with it:

  • The row came to a head when the US imposed one billion dollars in taxes on a whole range of consumer goods.

• 26 to manage to understand something:

  • It's hard to get your head round these new tax laws.

• 27 to put all your effort into finishing a particular task:

  • If I get my head down, I'll be able to finish the report before the end of the day.

  • The chairman intends to keep his head down until his disagreement with the serious fraud office is settled.

• 28 to deal with someone at a higher level:

  • He was furious that staff had gone over his head to try and implement departmental changes without his approval.

  • Most of the budget meeting went over my head.

• 29 to be very good at something:

  • She had a good head for business.

• 30 if you deal with something head on, you deal with it directly and with determination:

  • Leading corporations are tackling their carbon emissions head on.

  • The merger should enable the bank to compete head on with the other major investment institutions.

• 31 used to say that people are likely to be punished or lose their jobs because of something they have done:

  • Sources close to the bank have denied suggestions that heads will roll following the huge losses reported this week.

• 32 to try to manage a difficult situation, especially when it involves a lot of work or a lack of money:

  • The business has lurched from one financial crisis to another but we have managed to keep our heads above water.

• 33 to work together with others to solve a problem or deal with a difficult situation:

  • If we want to remain competitive, we'd better put our heads together and come up with new ways of reaching our market.

• 34 used to say that two people working together will achieve more than one person working alone

• 35 to lead or manage a team, department, organization, etc.:

  • After five years in the US office, he returns to London to head the finance department.

• 36 to move in a particular direction or towards a particular result:

  • be headed for/towards sth The corporate bond market is heading for its worst year in a decade as prices continue to fall.

  • These initial signs of recovery show the company is once again headed in the right direction.

• 37 to put a title at the top of a page, column, etc.:

  • The report was headed "confidential".

• 38 if share prices or currencies head north, they increase in value, and if they head south, they lose value:

  • The job cuts followed significant drops in stock values when the Nasdaq headed south.