head
- noun
- /hɛd/
- Specialized
- So I will measure the thigh by the length of head and it's actually about one head in a length.
- hydraulic head
- head loss
- low head
He wasn't quite as agile as Lou Alcindor, but his elbows we're right about head height for me.
- He wasn't quite as agile as Lou Alcindor, but his elbows we're right about head height for me.
- It says he stands head and shoulders tall above the rest.
Examples
-
According to government figures, state spending per head in Northern Ireland is even higher than in England's economically depressed Northeast.
Academic text (2011) -
OK, step one is to measure my head with this piece of bark.
-
The power's in this big head here.
-
I guess everything in the engine room was going well... ... for we was keeping up a fair head of steam.
-
OK, so no matter how big or small the head is, the waist is at the third head mark.
-
I measure three feet from the head of the toilet outward to the center of the room.
Fiction book (1998) -
"If you can arrange for us to have a ten-hour head start when we leave, that's all we'll need."
Fiction book (1991) -
As a result, ethanol has a huge head start over other alternatives to MTBE.
Academic text (2001) -
The UV disinfection system will have more head loss than the existing chlorine system.
Academic text (2002) -
The height of the wall measures three heads from the ground.
Synonyms
The height of liquid that makes pressure at a point below it
Idioms
- Informal
A place to live, like a house or flat that keeps you dry and safe
- Informal
A person who thinks carefully and makes sensible choices
- Informal
To leave someone feeling overwhelmed or confused by too much information
- Informal
Make a very loud, long cry because you feel afraid, excited, or upset
- Informal
To cause someone to feel confused or overwhelmed by too much information
- Informal
To make someone understand or accept something after many tries
- Informal
To stay very alert and watch what is happening around you
To try many times to do something without success and feel frustrated
- Informal
To make loud sounds you cannot stop because something is very funny
A sum of money offered to catch or kill a person wanted by the police
- Informal
To notice things happening behind you without turning around
To stay constantly in someone's thoughts and annoy them
To move forward despite strong opposition or many difficulties
Compounds
- Literature
A person on TV or video who speaks directly to viewers and gives opinions
- Offensive
A man's sexual feelings or other emotions that make him act without thinking
A mild viral sickness that makes your nose stuffy, causes sneezing, and may give you a headache
- Specialized
A thin part that sits between the engine block and cylinder head to stop oil, coolant, and gas from leaking
- Informal
A person or thing that looks very attractive and makes people turn to look
- Literature
A king or queen who rules because they get the position from their family
- Specialized
Metal cover that closes the top of an engine cylinder and holds valves and spark plugs
A carved, hollowed pumpkin made to look like a head or a person whose head looks like a pumpkin
- Informal
An intense mental experience that makes you think deeply or feel strong emotions
- US
A rare North American orchid with a brownish-green flower and a red-and-white lip shaped like a small horned animal's head
- Specialized
A small part in a tape or disk player that reads and writes sound and data using a magnet
- Specialized
A padded support on top of a car seat that holds the head and reduces neck injury in a crash
A North American plant in the mint family with two-lipped pink or white flowers in a spike
- Specialized
A plant like snakeweed with small flower heads that have fewer petals and fewer small flowers in the center
- Specialized
A wildflower with a long cone and yellow petals that grows in western North America
- South African
A small African succulent plant with many thin hanging branches like snakes
- Specialized
An accident when the small moving part that reads a hard drive touches the disk and destroys data
- Specialized
A disease from a fungus that attacks wheat or barley heads and reduces the crop
Surface Forms
Etymology
In engineering a head means the pressure or height of a liquid or steam, using the image of the 'top' or 'height' (the original sense of head), so more head gives more force.