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head

head

2.2
A person who is in charge of a group or organization
  • noun
  • /hɛd/
translation icon : jefe
  • Maya was selected as the new head of the marketing department after her impressive performance last year.
  • department head
  • head of household
  • head of state

And it was Pete Carroll, head coach of Seahawks.

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Examples

  • My duties later expanded to webmaster of our school website and head of the technology committee.

    Academic text (2015)
  • You should know that today, I talked to the head of the juvenile program at Serenity Manor, and you are being admitted.

  • In May 2010, we asked our head to form a think tank of two of us!

    Academic text (2013)
  • Your brother is the head of story at Bucket List.

  • I'm head of social services, if you must know.

  • The former is a class that was requested by the head of the Faculty of Philosophy.

    Academic text (2015)
  • So these are books written by the head of the math department at MIT.

  • General Carter Ham, the head of U.S. AFRICOM.

  • So Mark Carney, as I've said, was former head of the Bank of England.

  • As you all know, I'm Amos Klobuchar, head of drama.

Synonyms

leader
vshead
1.0

A person who guides and directs a group, organization, or country

is focused on being in charge rather than inspiring or guiding
chief
vshead
1.9

A person who leads a group or community

is the general person in charge rather than emphasizing top authority
boss
vshead
1.0

A person in charge of a group or workers

is a wider leader term not limited to workplace authority
commander
vshead
3.6

A person in charge of a group who gives orders and leads them

is a generic leader term used across many groups and settings
principal
vshead
481 3.6

A main person in an activity who has control or responsibility

is used specifically for the person who is overall in charge rather than main participant
chair
vshead
258 3.1

A person who leads a meeting or committee

is a general leader label beyond formal meeting roles
166 6.0

A person who manages an organization or its department, often in police and schools

is the general in charge term not tied to specific sectors
top dog
vshead
  • Informal
21 4.6

A person with the most power in a group

is the neutral expression for anyone in charge without slang
honcho
vshead
  • Informal
20 8.9

A person in charge of a team or project

is the neutral professional label without informal tone
chairperson
vshead
15 3.5

A person who leads a meeting, committee, or organization

is used more broadly for the person in charge in any context
head honcho
vshead
  • Slang
9 6.3

A person who is in charge of a company or group

is the neutral term for the person in charge without slang
presiding officer
vshead
  • Formal
3 6.1

A person who leads a meeting and makes sure it runs correctly

is a general leader role beyond just chairing meetings
supremo
vshead
3 8.4

A person who is the most important leader in a group or organization

is the common term for the person in charge without grand tone
presider
vshead
1 7.3

A person who leads a meeting, ceremony, or event

is the broader manager or leader beyond running events

Antonyms

295 1.6

A person who supports a leader and accepts their direction

21 4.8

Lower in rank or importance and under someone's control

Idioms

Avoid getting noticed to stay out of trouble

33 3.2

A place to live, like a house or flat that keeps you dry and safe

Completely covering the whole body from head to feet

head over heels
  • Informal
17 3.4

Completely in love with someone

Make people see something in a very different way

Showing pride and confidence when facing difficulty

8 4.7

To avoid serious money problems during hard times

To force someone to do something by threatening them

To calm your mind and think clearly

6 4.3

Being much better than others at something

To become too proud after praise or success

To ignore a problem instead of dealing with it

A person who thinks carefully and makes sensible choices

5 9.1

Showing poor judgment or not thinking clearly

4 4.4

Act proudly and confidently, not ashamed

Touch or rub your head to show you do not understand something

4 7.0

To leave someone feeling overwhelmed or confused by too much information

4 7.8

To run away quickly to escape danger

To stay focused and calm in a difficult situation

3 5.1

To make loud, long sounds because something is very funny

3 6.5

Make a very loud, long cry because you feel afraid, excited, or upset

Stay calm and not get angry or excited in a difficult situation

3 7.4

To cause someone to feel confused or overwhelmed by too much information

An ability to understand and do well in business

3 8.1

Too difficult for someone to understand

fucked in the head
  • Offensive
2 9.9

Very unwell in the mind and likely to act strangely

2 6.9

A person who has good judgment and common sense

head up one's ass
  • Offensive
2 9.9

To be unaware of what is happening around you

1 7.2

To daydream and not pay attention to what is around you

Offer money for catching or killing a person

1 8.5

Shout at someone in a very angry way and threaten them

To make someone understand or accept something after many tries

To hurt someone in any way, even a little

To stay very alert and watch what is happening around you

To try many times to do something without success and feel frustrated

head over heels
  • Informal
1 4.2

In a hurry and moving clumsily without control

1 3.5

To make loud sounds you cannot stop because something is very funny

1 6.4

To become very upset and unable to think clearly

Able to think and act in a sensible, practical way

1 9.1

To be very angry with someone and want to punish them

A sum of money offered to catch or kill a person wanted by the police

Be quieter and more careful about what you say

A place to live or stay

Being responsible for another person's harm or death

To speak angrily to someone and criticize them

Not helpful and not wanted in any situation

To notice things happening behind you without turning around

To find a place to sleep or rest

To stay constantly in someone's thoughts and annoy them

To move forward despite strong opposition or many difficulties

To finally understand or accept something difficult

To do something very foolish and not needed

Compounds

82 2.5

An advantage from starting earlier than others that helps you succeed

head of state
  • Formal
49 3.5

A country's main public leader, like a president or king

42 3.9

The front of one vehicle hits the front of another in a crash

36 3.8

To face something directly without avoiding it

31 3.7

In direct competition with another person or team

talking head
  • Literature
21 6.0

A person on TV or video who speaks directly to viewers and gives opinions

20 2.0

All the hair that grows on the top of a person's head

A person who leads a department in a company or school

17 3.4

The number of people present in a group or at an event

13 3.9

A direct contest or comparison between two sides

9 3.0

A senior nurse in charge of staff on a hospital ward

head honcho
  • Slang
9 6.3

A person who is in charge of a company or group

8 4.1

Staying calm and not getting upset in difficult or stressful situations

7 1.0

The upper part of the body that holds the brain and face

6 2.5

Small insects that live in hair and make the head itchy

little head
  • Offensive
5 9.9

A man's sexual feelings or other emotions that make him act without thinking

5 1.8

A mild viral sickness that makes your nose stuffy, causes sneezing, and may give you a headache

head gasket
  • Specialized
4 5.6

A thin part that sits between the engine block and cylinder head to stop oil, coolant, and gas from leaking

head of steam
  • Informal
4 7.0

A sudden burst of energy and excitement before doing something

head-scratcher
  • Informal
4 7.7

A problem that is hard to understand or solve

head shop
  • NSFW
3 8.2

A shop that sells pipes and rolling papers for smoking drugs

3 4.2

A private meeting between two people

A person who is in charge of managing a home and family

head-spinning
  • Informal
3 6.8

Causes strong confusion and makes you feel overwhelmed

head game
  • Informal
2 8.6

A trick to confuse or upset someone

head-scratching
  • Informal
2 7.5

Hard to understand and making people feel confused

Cloth or hat that people wear on the head, sometimes over the face

head-turner
  • Informal
2 5.6

A person or thing that looks very attractive and makes people turn to look

swelled head
  • Offensive
2 7.4

Thinking you are more important or better than other people

crowned head
  • Literature
1 7.8

A king or queen who rules because they get the position from their family

cylinder head
  • Specialized
1 6.4

Metal cover that closes the top of an engine cylinder and holds valves and spark plugs

1 6.3

A carved, hollowed pumpkin made to look like a head or a person whose head looks like a pumpkin

1 3.2

A person who leads a school and is responsible for its teachers and students

flower head
  • Specialized
1 3.0

A tight group of small flowers that look like one flower

head trip
  • Informal
1 8.7

An intense mental experience that makes you think deeply or feel strong emotions

head voice
  • Specialized
1 7.1

A high singing sound that feels like it vibrates in the head

1 9.3

A doctor who treats mental health problems

1 9.9

A rare North American orchid with a brownish-green flower and a red-and-white lip shaped like a small horned animal's head

coconut head
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who acts foolishly and lacks common sense

1 3.5

The part of a golf club that strikes the ball

1 9.1

An image or object of a human skull used as a symbol of death

acid head
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who regularly takes LSD

ax head
  • US
1 4.1

A metal blade at the end of an ax used for chopping wood

magnetic head
  • Specialized
1 6.0

A small part in a tape or disk player that reads and writes sound and data using a magnet

1 1.6

The part at the end of a mop that soaks up water for cleaning floors

granola-head
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who cares a lot about healthy food and the environment

1 1.4

A round vegetable with a large firm head of leaves used for cooking

head restraint
  • Specialized
1 4.1

A padded support on top of a car seat that holds the head and reduces neck injury in a crash

1 8.1

A person who loves computers and new electronic gadgets

1 3.6

A person who leads a team working on a particular task

pudding head
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who is not very smart

pill head
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who often takes illegal pills to get high

potato head
  • Offensive
1 8.4

A person who behaves in a foolish or silly way

spud head
  • Offensive
1 9.8

An insulting name for a person who is foolish or lazy

stupid-head
  • Offensive
1 9.1

A playful insult for a person who acts silly

bum head
  • Offensive
9.9

A person who behaves in a silly or careless way

6.0

The part at the end of a golf club that hits the ball

9.9

A mushroom with a ridged, pitted cap attached halfway down the stem

A large moth with a skull-shaped dark mark on its back

doodie head
  • Offensive
9.9

A playful name children use for someone acting silly

9.9

A North American herb with long narrow toothed leaves and purple flower spikes

addle-head
  • Offensive
9.9

A person who often thinks in a confused or silly way

balloon head
  • Informal
8.9

A feeling that your head is swollen and full with pressure and discomfort

A North American plant in the mint family with two-lipped pink or white flowers in a spike

little-head snakeweed
  • Specialized
9.9

A plant like snakeweed with small flower heads that have fewer petals and fewer small flowers in the center

long-head coneflower
  • Specialized
8.4

A wildflower with a long cone and yellow petals that grows in western North America

medusa's head
  • South African
9.9

A small African succulent plant with many thin hanging branches like snakes

9.9

A wild grass with long, stiff bristles that look like snake hair

The part of a golf club that hits the ball

hash head
  • Offensive
9.9

A person who often smokes hash, a kind of illegal drug

head crash
  • Specialized
8.6

An accident when the small moving part that reads a hard drive touches the disk and destroys data

head gate
  • Specialized
7.4

A movable barrier at the start of a canal that controls water flow

head blight
  • Specialized
8.9

A disease from a fungus that attacks wheat or barley heads and reduces the crop

How Senior

CEO
678 3.5
head
2.2
director
424 3.0
manager
1.6
supervisor
346 2.8

Surface Forms

head singular
heads plural

Etymology

Head also means the person in charge because head originally meant 'top' (from heafod), so the leader is the person at the top of a group.