Dictionary entry details
• HEAD (noun)
Meaning:
The upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
Classified under:
Nouns denoting body parts
Synonyms:
head; caput
Context example:
he stuck his head out the window
Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):
external body part (any body part visible externally)
Meronyms (parts of "head"):
temple (the flat area on either side of the forehead)
face; human face (the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear)
skull (the bony skeleton of the head of vertebrates)
brain; encephalon (that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord)
arteria basilaris; basilar artery (an unpaired artery; supplies the pons and cerebellum and the back part of the cerebrum and the inner ear)
ear (the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium)
muzzle (forward projecting part of the head of certain animals; includes the jaws and nose)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "head"):
human head (the head of a human being)
Holonyms ("head" is a part of...):
animal; animate being; beast; brute; creature; fauna (a living organism characterized by voluntary movement)
body; organic structure; physical structure (the entire structure of an organism (especially an animal or human being))
Meaning:
A single domestic animal
Classified under:
Nouns denoting animals
Context example:
200 head of cattle
Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):
domestic animal (any of various domesticated animals)
Meaning:
That which is responsible for one's thoughts and feelings; the seat of the faculty of reason
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Synonyms:
psyche; mind; nous; head; brain
Context examples:
his mind wandered / I couldn't get his words out of my head
Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):
cognition; knowledge; noesis (the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "head"):
subconscious; subconscious mind (psychic activity just below the level of awareness)
unconscious; unconscious mind (that part of the mind wherein psychic activity takes place of which the person is unaware)
ego ((psychoanalysis) the conscious mind)
tabula rasa (a young mind not yet affected by experience (according to John Locke))
noddle (an informal British expression for head or mind)
Meaning:
A person who is in charge
Classified under:
Nouns denoting people
Synonyms:
chief; top dog; head
Context example:
the head of the whole operation
Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):
leader (a person who rules or guides or inspires others)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "head"):
secretary (a person who is head of an administrative department of government)
head of household (the head of a household or family or tribe)
grand dragon (a high ranking person in the Ku Klux Klan)
general manager (the highest ranking manager)
general; superior general (the head of a religious order or congregation)
don; father (the head of an organized crime family)
department head (the head of a department)
capo (the head of a branch of an organized crime syndicate)
administrator; decision maker (someone who administers a business)
administrator; executive (someone who manages a government agency or department)
Meaning:
The front of a military formation or procession
Classified under:
Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects
Context examples:
the head of the column advanced boldly / they were at the head of the attack
Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):
formation (an arrangement of people or things acting as a unit)
Domain category:
armed forces; armed services; military; military machine; war machine (the military forces of a nation)
Antonym:
rear (the back of a military formation or procession)
Meaning:
The pressure exerted by a fluid
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural phenomena
Context example:
a head of steam
Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):
force per unit area; pressure; pressure level (the force applied to a unit area of surface; measured in pascals (SI unit) or in dynes (cgs unit))
Meaning:
The top of something
Classified under:
Nouns denoting spatial position
Context examples:
the head of the stairs / the head of the page / the head of the list
Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):
top (the upper part of anything)
Antonym:
foot (the lower part of anything)
Meaning:
The source of water from which a stream arises
Classified under:
Nouns denoting spatial position
Synonyms:
headspring; fountainhead; head
Context example:
they tracked him back toward the head of the stream
Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):
beginning; origin; root; rootage; source (the place where something begins, where it springs into being)
Meaning:
(grammar) the word in a grammatical constituent that plays the same grammatical role as the whole constituent
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Synonyms:
head word; head
Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):
word (a unit of language that native speakers can identify)
Domain category:
grammar (the branch of linguistics that deals with syntax and morphology (and sometimes also deals with semantics or morphology))
Meaning:
The tip of an abscess (where the pus accumulates)
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):
peak; point; tip (a V shape)
Holonyms ("head" is a part of...):
abscess (symptom consisting of a localized collection of pus surrounded by inflamed tissue)
Meaning:
The length or height based on the size of a human or animal head
Classified under:
Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure
Context examples:
he is two heads taller than his little sister / his horse won by a head
Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):
linear unit (a unit of measurement of length)
Meaning:
A dense clusters of flowers or foliage
Classified under:
Nouns denoting plants
Synonyms:
capitulum; head
Context examples:
a head of cauliflower / a head of lettuce
Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):
plant organ (a functional and structural unit of a plant or fungus)
Meaning:
The educator who has executive authority for a school
Classified under:
Nouns denoting people
Synonyms:
school principal; head teacher; principal; head
Context example:
she sent unruly pupils to see the principal
Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):
educator; pedagog; pedagogue (someone who educates young people)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "head"):
headmistress (a woman headmaster)
headmaster; master; schoolmaster (presiding officer of a school)
chancellor (the honorary or titular head of a university)
Meaning:
An individual person
Classified under:
Nouns denoting people
Context example:
tickets are $5 per head
Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):
individual (a single organism)
Meaning:
A user of (usually soft) drugs
Classified under:
Nouns denoting people
Context example:
the office was full of secret heads
Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):
drug user; substance abuser; user (a person who takes drugs)
Domain usage:
colloquialism (a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "head"):
pothead (someone who smokes marijuana habitually)
pill head (a consumer of amphetamine pills)
hash head (a user of hashish)
acid head (someone who takes LSD)
Meaning:
A natural elevation (especially a rocky one that juts out into the sea)
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)
Synonyms:
foreland; headland; promontory; head
Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):
elevation; natural elevation (a raised or elevated geological formation)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "head"):
point (a promontory extending out into a large body of water)
mull (a term used in Scottish names of promontories)
Instance hyponyms:
Cape Hatteras (a promontory on Hatteras Island off the Atlantic coast of North Carolina)
Cape Canaveral; Cape Kennedy (a sandy promontory (formerly Cape Kennedy) extending into the Atlantic Ocean from a barrier island off the eastern coast of Florida; the site of a NASA center for spaceflight)
Cape Sable (a promontory on the far southern part of Nova Scotia)
Abila; Abyla; Jebel Musa (a promontory in northern Morocco opposite the Rock of Gibraltar; one of the Pillars of Hercules)
Calpe; Gibraltar; Rock of Gibraltar (location of a colony of the United Kingdom on a limestone promontory at the southern tip of Spain; strategically important because it can control the entrance of ships into the Mediterranean; one of the Pillars of Hercules)
Cape Horn (a rocky headland belonging to Chile at the southernmost tip of South America (south of Tierra del Fuego))
Meaning:
A rounded compact mass
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)
Context example:
the head of a comet
Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):
object; physical object (a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow)
Meaning:
The foam or froth that accumulates at the top when you pour an effervescent liquid into a container
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)
Context example:
the beer had a large head of foam
Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):
foam; froth (a mass of small bubbles formed in or on a liquid)
Meaning:
The part in the front or nearest the viewer
Classified under:
Nouns denoting spatial position
Synonyms:
forefront; head
Context examples:
he was in the forefront / he was at the head of the column
Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):
forepart; front; front end (the side that is forward or prominent)
Meaning:
A difficult juncture
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural events
Synonyms:
straits; pass; head
Context examples:
a pretty pass / matters came to a head yesterday
Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):
juncture; occasion (an event that occurs at a critical time)
Meaning:
Forward movement
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural events
Synonyms:
headway; head
Context example:
the ship made little headway against the gale
Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):
advance; progress; progression (a movement forward)
Meaning:
A V-shaped mark at one end of an arrow pointer
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Synonyms:
point; head
Context example:
the point of the arrow was due north
Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):
mark (a written or printed symbol (as for punctuation))
Holonyms ("head" is a part of...):
arrow; pointer (a mark to indicate a direction or relation)
Meaning:
The subject matter at issue
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Synonyms:
question; head
Context examples:
the question of disease merits serious discussion / under the head of minor Roman poets
Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):
subject; theme; topic (the subject matter of a conversation or discussion)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "head"):
problem (a question raised for consideration or solution)
matter of fact; question of fact (a disputed factual contention that is generally left for a jury to decide)
matter of law; question of law (a disputed legal contention that is generally left for a judge to decide)
Meaning:
A line of text serving to indicate what the passage below it is about
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Synonyms:
header; heading; head
Context example:
the heading seemed to have little to do with the text
Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):
line (text consisting of a row of words written across a page or computer screen)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "head"):
rubric; statute title; title (a heading that names a statute or legislative bill; may give a brief summary of the matters it deals with)
subhead; subheading (a heading of a subdivision of a text)
running head; running headline (a heading printed at the top of every page (or every other page) of a book)
rubric (a title or heading that is printed in red or in a special type)
lemma (the heading that indicates the subject of an annotation or a literary composition or a dictionary entry)
headline; newspaper headline (the heading or caption of a newspaper article)
crosshead; crossheading (a heading of a subsection printed within the body of the text)
Meaning:
The rounded end of a bone that bits into a rounded cavity in another bone to form a joint
Classified under:
Nouns denoting body parts
Context example:
the head of the humerus
Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):
anatomical structure; bodily structure; body structure; complex body part; structure (a particular complex anatomical part)
Meaning:
That part of a skeletal muscle that is away from the bone that it moves
Classified under:
Nouns denoting body parts
Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):
anatomical structure; bodily structure; body structure; complex body part; structure (a particular complex anatomical part)
Holonyms ("head" is a part of...):
skeletal muscle; striated muscle (a muscle that is connected at either or both ends to a bone and so move parts of the skeleton; a muscle that is characterized by transverse stripes)
Meaning:
(computer science) a tiny electromagnetic coil and metal pole used to write and read magnetic patterns on a disk
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Synonyms:
read/write head; head
Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):
coil (reactor consisting of a spiral of insulated wire that introduces inductance into a circuit)
Domain category:
computer science; computing (the branch of engineering science that studies (with the aid of computers) computable processes and structures)
Meaning:
(usually plural) the obverse side of a coin that usually bears the representation of a person's head
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Context example:
call heads or tails!
Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):
obverse (the side of a coin or medal bearing the principal stamp or design)
Domain usage:
plural; plural form (the form of a word that is used to denote more than one)
Holonyms ("head" is a part of...):
coin (a metal piece (usually a disc) used as money)
Antonym:
tail ((usually plural) the reverse side of a coin that does not bear the representation of a person's head)
Meaning:
The striking part of a tool
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Context example:
the head of the hammer
Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):
striker (the part of a mechanical device that strikes something)
Meronyms (parts of "head"):
face (the striking or working surface of an implement)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "head"):
club head; club-head; clubhead; golf-club head ((golf) the head of the club which strikes the ball)
hammerhead (the striking part of a hammer)
Holonyms ("head" is a part of...):
ram (a tool for driving or forcing something by impact)
hammer (a hand tool with a heavy rigid head and a handle; used to deliver an impulsive force by striking)
Meaning:
(nautical) a toilet on board a boat or ship
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):
bathroom; can; john; lav; lavatory; privy; toilet (a room or building equipped with one or more toilets)
Meaning:
A projection out from one end
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Context examples:
the head of the nail / a pinhead is the head of a pin
Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):
projection (any structure that branches out from a central support)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "head"):
pinhead (the head of a pin)
Holonyms ("head" is a part of...):
screw (a fastener with a tapered threaded shank and a slotted head)
pin (a small slender (often pointed) piece of wood or metal used to support or fasten or attach things)
nail (a thin pointed piece of metal that is hammered into materials as a fastener)
bolt (a screw that screws into a nut to form a fastener)
Meaning:
A membrane that is stretched taut over a drum
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Synonyms:
drumhead; head
Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):
membrane (a thin pliable sheet of material)
Holonyms ("head" is a part of...):
drum; membranophone; tympan (a musical percussion instrument; usually consists of a hollow cylinder with a membrane stretched across each end)
Meaning:
Oral stimulation of the genitals
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Synonyms:
oral sex; head
Context example:
they say he gives good head
Hypernyms ("head" is a kind of...):
perversion; sexual perversion (an aberrant sexual practice that is preferred to normal intercourse)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "head"):
cunnilinctus; cunnilingus (oral stimulation of the vulva or clitoris)
fellatio; fellation (oral stimulation of the penis)
sixty-nine; soixante-neuf (oral sex practiced simultaneously by two people)
• HEAD (verb)
Meaning:
To go or travel towards
Classified under:
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming
Context examples:
where is she heading / We were headed for the mountains
Hypernyms (to "head" is one way to...):
continue; go forward; proceed (move ahead; travel onward in time or space)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "head"):
make; take (head into a specified direction)
Sentence frames:
Something is ----ing PP
Somebody ----s PP
Sentence example:
They head up the hill
Meaning:
Be in charge of
Classified under:
Verbs of political and social activities and events
Synonyms:
head; lead
Context example:
Who is heading this project?
Hypernyms (to "head" is one way to...):
direct (be in charge of)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "head"):
chair; chairman (act or preside as chair, as of an academic department in a university)
captain (be the captain of a sports team)
spearhead (be the leader of)
take charge; take control; take hold (assume control)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Meaning:
Travel in front of; go in advance of others
Classified under:
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming
Synonyms:
head; lead
Context example:
The procession was headed by John
Hypernyms (to "head" is one way to...):
lead; precede (move ahead (of others) in time or space)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "head"):
draw away (move ahead of (one's competitors) in a race)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Meaning:
Be the first or leading member of (a group) and excel
Classified under:
Verbs of being, having, spatial relations
Synonyms:
head up; head
Context example:
This student heads the class
Hypernyms (to "head" is one way to...):
be (have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun))
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Meaning:
Direct the course; determine the direction of travelling
Classified under:
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming
Synonyms:
steer; maneuver; guide; channelize; channelise; manoeuver; manoeuvre; point; head; direct
Hypernyms (to "head" is one way to...):
command; control (exercise authoritative control or power over)
Domain category:
driving (the act of controlling and steering the movement of a vehicle or animal)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "head"):
park (maneuver a vehicle into a parking space)
corner; tree (force a person or an animal into a position from which he cannot escape)
canalise; canalize; channel (direct the flow of)
navigate; pilot (act as the navigator in a car, plane, or vessel and plan, direct, plot the path and position of the conveyance)
conn (conduct or direct the steering of a ship or plane)
starboard (turn to the right, of helms or rudders)
stand out (steer away from shore, of ships)
navigate (direct carefully and safely)
crab (direct (an aircraft) into a crosswind)
pull over (steer a vehicle to the side of the road)
sheer (cause to sheer)
dock (haul into a dock)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP
Meaning:
Take its rise
Classified under:
Verbs of being, having, spatial relations
Context example:
These rivers head from a mountain range in the Himalayas
Hypernyms (to "head" is one way to...):
arise; develop; grow; originate; rise; spring up; uprise (come into existence; take on form or shape)
Sentence frame:
Something is ----ing PP
Meaning:
Be in the front of or on top of
Classified under:
Verbs of being, having, spatial relations
Context example:
The list was headed by the name of the president
Hypernyms (to "head" is one way to...):
lie (be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "head"):
surmount (be on top of)
crown (form the topmost part of)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Meaning:
Form a head or come or grow to a head
Classified under:
Verbs of being, having, spatial relations
Context example:
The wheat headed early this year
Hypernyms (to "head" is one way to...):
form (assume a form or shape)
Sentence frame:
Something ----s
Meaning:
Remove the head of
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Context example:
head the fish
Hypernyms (to "head" is one way to...):
remove; take; take away; withdraw (remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
