department head
- noun
- /dɪˈpɑrtmənt hɛd/
- I would like all department heads in the conference room in five minutes.
- department head/chairperson
- role of the department head
- department head position
And, you know, 'cause the department heads, they, they hire them.
- And, you know, 'cause the department heads, they, they hire them.
- With all due respect, students who who want to take space from department heads and Deans and people like that.
- And one of the things that people come to me about is people with little power bases like department heads in universities.
- They work for their department head and and then and they work for the payroll company.
Examples
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I'm Marla Bloodstone, the department head here.
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Also, l have to be back at school to clear up some things with my department head.
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The point of view of the department head is unique among university personnel.
Academic text (1991) -
After all, professional development is one of the responsibilities of the department head.
Academic text (1991) -
Just before the shift changed in Security, I had a call from Pete Albertsen, the department head.
Fiction book (1999) -
We need strong department heads to oversee this merger.
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Department heads report to Dr. Van Ness immediately.
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Every Wednesday, all department heads meet to discuss their teams' challenges.
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As the department head, she is responsible for overseeing all staff in her division.
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The new department head introduced several changes to improve productivity in the office.
Synonyms
A person who leads a group or community
A person in charge of a group or workers
A person who is in charge of a group or organization
A person who manages resources and spending in an organization
A person who manages an organization or its department, often in police and schools
A person who is in charge of all parts of a business or department
A person who is in charge of a company or group
How Senior
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'the person in charge of a department' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'department' (an organizational unit) with 'head' (a leader). The compound pattern 'X head' meaning 'leader of X' is common in English and cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Department head is a compound made from department (a group or area of work) and head (the top person). Imagine the head standing at the front of a department to guide everyone, so it means 'the person in charge'.