<B>head, </B>noun, pl. <B>heads</B> or (for def. 5) <B>head,</B> adjective, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>the top part of the human body or the front part of an animal where the eyes, nose, ears, and mouth are. Your brain is in your head. <BR> <I>Ex. He'd leave his head behind him, if it was loose (George Eliot).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>the top part of anything. <BR> <I>Ex. the head of a pin, the head of a page, the head of a staircase, the head of a bed, the head of the table.</I> <DD><B> 3a. </B>the front part or end of anything. <BR> <I>Ex. the head of a parade, the head of a comet, the head of a street, soldiers at the head of the column.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>the forward part of a ship, including the bow. <DD><B> 4. </B>(Figurative.) <DD><B> a. </B>the chief person; leader; commander; director. <BR> <I>Ex. the head of a school. The chief is the head of an Indian tribe. He thought of himself habitually as the head of a great underground organization (Edmund Wilson).</I> (SYN) ruler. <DD><B> b. </B><B>=headmaster.</B> <DD><B> c. </B>the position of head; chief authority; leadership; command. <BR> <I>Ex. at the head of the administration.</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>one or ones; individual or individuals; person or persons. Ten cows are ten head of cattle. <BR> <I>Ex. Kings and queens are crowned heads. Old heads are elders. The places are two-pence a head (Horace Walpole).</I> <DD><B> 6a. </B>anything rounded like a head. <BR> <I>Ex. a head of lettuce, a head of cabbage, the head of a cane. The head of a violin is shaped like a scroll.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>(Botany.) a cluster of flowers in which the flowers or florets do not have individual stems, but grow close together from the main stem; flower head. <BR> <I>Ex. a head of clover. Botanists speak of such a flower cluster as a "head." This head is typical of the large group of flowering plants called the composites, including the daisies, sunflowers, ragweed and hundreds of others (Science News Letter).</I> <DD><B> 7. </B>the part of a boil, pimple, or abscess where pus is about to break through the skin. <DD><B> 8a. </B>the striking or cutting part of a tool or implement. <BR> <I>Ex. You hit the nail with the head of a hammer. You hit the ball with the head of a golf club.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>a chuck on a drill or lathe. <DD><B> 9a. </B>an end or extremity of a thing, or either of two like ends. <BR> <I>Ex. As that great host, with measured tread ... Rolled slowly toward the bridge's head (Macaulay).</I> <DD><B> b. </B>the piece of skin, cloth, or the like, stretched tightly over the end of a drum or tambourine; drumhead. <DD><B> c. </B>either end of a barrel or cask. <DD><B> 10. </B>(Figurative.) the mind; understanding; intelligence; intellect. <BR> <I>Ex. He has a good head for figures. He's sudden if a thing comes to his head (Shakespeare).</I> <DD><B> 11. </B>(Figurative.) <DD><B> a. </B>a main division; topic; subject. <BR> <I>Ex. He arranged his speech under four main heads.</I> (SYN) heading, point. <DD><B> b. </B>the line or lines at the top of a newspaper article or at the top of a page as to indicate a section or contents. <BR> <I>Ex. Under a two-column head, the Times put his story in the coveted front-page turn (column eight) position (Time).</I> <DD><B> 12. </B>(Figurative.) a decisive point; crisis or conclusion. <BR> <I>Ex. His sudden refusal brought matters to a head.</I> (SYN) height, culmination. <DD><B> 13a. </B>the pressure of water, gas, or other confined substance. <BR> <I>Ex. a full head of steam.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>(Figurative.) strength or force gained little by little. <BR> <I>Ex. As more people joined, the movement gathered head.</I> <DD><B> c. </B>(Obsolete.) a body or force gathered in opposition, as for war or revolt. <BR> <I>Ex. To save our heads, by raising of a head (Shakespeare).</I> <DD><B> 14a. </B>the upper limit, as of a slope or body of water; source of a river or stream. <BR> <I>Ex. the head of a brook.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>a body of water kept at a height, as for supplying a mill. <DD><B> c. </B>the height of such a body of water or the force of its fall. <BR> <I>Ex. The energy in water power comes both from the weight of the water and from the head upon it. The head of the water is measured by the vertical distance through which the water falls in performing work (Hope Holway).</I> <DD><B> d. </B>(Geology.) a standard pressure of water used in determining the permeability of different rocks and rock formations. <DD><B> 15a. </B>a figure, image, or representation of a head. <BR> <I>Ex. Coins often bear the head of a famous ruler.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>Often, <B>heads.</B> <DD> the top side of a coin; principal or obverse side, usually having a representation of a head. <DD><B> 1a. </B>land that juts out into the sea; headland; cape; promontory. <BR> <I>Ex. Beachy Head is a promontory on the English Channel.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>a projecting part of a rock, mass of ice, sandbank, etc. <DD><B> 2a. </B>the foam or froth on the top of beer or other liquor. <BR> <I>Ex. Many people prefer beer that has a good head.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>the cream on milk. <DD><B> 3. </B>the upper edge or corner of a sail. <DD><B> 4. </B>a lavatory, especially on a ship or boat. <DD><B> 5. </B>(Grammar.) the modified member in a structure of a modification; a word which has the same grammatical function as the word group in which it occurs. In <I>very fresh milk</I> the head is <I>milk.</I> <DD><B> 6. </B>(Electronics.) <B>=magnetic head.</B> <DD><B> 7. </B>(Mining.) <B>=heading.</B> <DD><B> 8. </B>the antlers of a deer. <DD><B> 9a. </B>(Slang.) a drug user or addict, such as an acidhead or pothead. <BR> <I>Ex. "Most of the real heads were completely freaked out before they ever saw dope; that bag is just their outlet" (New York Times).</I> <DD><B> b. </B>a fan or devotee; freak. <BR> <I>Ex. a film head, a motorcycle head.</I> <DD><B> 10. </B>the hair of the head. <BR> <I>Ex. I curled and combed his comely head (Tennyson).</I> <DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>at the head, front, or top. <BR> <I>Ex. the head group of a parade, the head section of a platoon.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>coming from in front; opposing. <BR> <I>Ex. a head wind, a head sea, head tides.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>(Figurative.) chief; leading; commanding; directing. <BR> <I>Ex. the head clerk in a store. Which is the head Lady? (Shakespeare).</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>of or for the head; designed for the head; worn on the head. <BR> <I>Ex. head nets, head wrappings.</I> <DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1a. </B>to be or go at the head, front, or top of; form the head of. <BR> <I>Ex. to head a parade. There are enough of them to make a large list in my private catalogue--headed, possibly, by Nino Perizi, whose "Morning by the River" has a lovely suggestion of sun-flecked blue water (New Yorker).</I> (SYN) precede. <DD><B> b. </B>(Figurative.) to surpass; outdo; excel. <BR> <I>Ex. He heads all the records.</I> <DD><B> 2a. </B>to cause to move or face in a certain direction. <BR> <I>Ex. to head a boat toward shore, to head a ship south. It's getting late, we'd better head our horses for home.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>to advance directly against or in opposition to the course of. <BR> <I>Ex. to head the driving snow.</I> <DD><B> c. </B>to get in front, often so as to cause to turn back or aside. <BR> <I>Ex. Priamos [a horse] took over from the early leaders fairly far along in the race and was never headed (New Yorker).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>(Figurative.) to be the head or chief of; lead; command; direct. <BR> <I>Ex. to head a business. Who will head the team? I in person will my people head (Alexander Pope).</I> (SYN) rule. <DD><B> 4. </B>to put a head on; furnish or fit with a head. <BR> <I>Ex. to cut and head nails, to head a letter with the date, to head a newspaper article with a title.</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>to take the head off of; behead. <BR> <I>Ex. to head and gut fish.</I> <DD><B> 6. </B>to lop the top branches off (a tree); poll. <BR> <I>Ex. Certain trees should be headed every few years.</I> <DD><B> 7. </B>to go around the head of (a stream, lake, or the like). <BR> <I>Ex. The explorer headed the lake instead of crossing it.</I> <DD><B> 8. </B>to collect (water) so as to form a head. <DD><B> 9. </B>(Soccer.) to hit (the ball) with the head. <BR> <I>Ex. Good players can head the ball long distances (George E. Fishwick).</I> <DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to move or go toward or in a certain direction; face toward. <BR> <I>Ex. Our ship headed south. We headed for the hills.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to move toward a specified state or plight. <BR> <I>Ex. They are heading for disaster.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>to grow to a head; form a head. <BR> <I>Ex. All my early wheat ... was headed or heading (George Washington).</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>to have its head or source in a specified place, as a river or stream. <BR><I>expr. <B>beat one's head against the wall,</B> </I>to attack or tackle something or someone without any hope of success; persist in a futile action or endeavor. <BR> <I>Ex. Nottingham Forest attacked and attacked, hit posts, missed chances, and generally beat their heads in frustration against [the] wall (London Times).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>bite off one's head,</B> </I>to speak to one in a sharp, rude, or curt manner. <BR> <I>Ex. Seldom have we seen [him] in a more snappy or irritable mood. Conservative peers could scarcely waggle their little fingers at him without having their heads bitten off (London Times).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>bury</B> (or <B>hide</B>) <B>one's head in the sand,</B> </I>to fail to face facts; hide from reality. <BR> <I>Ex. No use hiding your heads in the sand, folks. You can't turn back the clock (S. J. Perelman).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>by the head,</B> <DD><B> a. </B>(of a ship) lower in the water at the bow than at the stern. </I> <I>Ex. The vessel is too much by the head (William Falconer).</I> <DD><B> b. </B>(Slang.) slightly intoxicated. <BR> <I>Ex. He said he was a little by the head, but not drunk.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>come to a head,</B> <DD><B> a. </B>(of a boil or other infection) to fill with pus; suppurate. </I> <I>Ex. The medication should be applied before the infection comes to a head.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>(Figurative.) to come to a crisis, issue, culmination, maturity, or other result. <BR> <I>Ex. The trouble came to a head with the murder of an Opposition journalist (Observer).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>down by the head,</B> </I>to lower in the water at the bow; by the head. <BR> <I>Ex. As a result of the collision she is down by the head, but not in danger of sinking.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>eat one's head off,</B> <DD><B> a. </B>to eat very much. </I> <I>Ex. We ate our heads off at the clambake.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>to snap one's head off; speak to rudely or harshly. <BR> <I>Ex. If you argue with her she'll eat your head off.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>give one his head,</B> </I>to let someone do as he pleases. <BR> <I>Ex. [He] was given his head in choosing the programme (Punch).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>go to one's head,</B> <DD><B> a. </B>to affect one's mind. </I> <I>Ex. The poor man's troubles have gone to his head.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>to make one dizzy, excited, or intoxicated. <BR> <I>Ex. The whiskey has gone to his head.</I> <DD><B> c. </B>to make one conceited. <BR> <I>Ex. I'm afraid all this praise will go to my head.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>hang one's head,</B> </I>to show that one is ashamed. <BR> <I>Ex. He hung down his head, and ... withdrew quite abashed (Charles Johnston).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>head and shoulders,</B> <DD><B> a. </B>by the amount of head and shoulders; considerably; very much. </I> <I>Ex. He stood head and shoulders above his contemporaries ... as an orator (Manchester Guardian).</I> <DD><B> b. </B>bodily; irrelevantly; violently. <BR> <I>Ex. I must drag the mention of the fact in head and shoulders here, or else I shall forget it (Anthony Trollope).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>head first</B> (or <B>foremost</B>), <DD><B> a. </B>with the head first or foremost. </I> <I>Ex. She thrust him ... head foremost, into an oven (James Hart).</I> <DD><B> b. </B>(Figurative.) hastily; hurriedly. <BR> <I>Ex. The ... Dean plunged head foremost into the controversy (Pall Mall Gazette).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>head off,</B> <DD><B> a. </B>to get in front of and turn back or aside; check. </I> <I>Ex. The cowboys tried to head off the stampeding herd.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>to prevent; forestall. <BR> <I>Ex. He tried to head off possible trouble by extreme care in what he did.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>head over heels,</B> <DD><B> a. </B>in a somersault. </I> <I>Ex. He tripped and fell head over heels down the stairs.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>(Figurative.) hastily; rashly. <BR> <I>Ex. Away he went head over heels like a shot rabbit (H. Rider Haggard).</I> <DD><B> c. </B>(Figurative.) completely; thoroughly. <BR> <I>Ex. She is head over heels in love with him.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>heads</B> (<B>would,</B> <B>will,</B> <B>are likely to,</B> etc.) <B>roll,</B> </I>to punish people severely as by dismissal, suspension, or public disgrace. <BR> <I>Ex. [He] said that after his conviction heads would roll (London Times).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>head up,</B> </I>to serve or act as the head of; direct. <BR> <I>Ex. He heads up a staff of 50 lawyers.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>hide one's head,</B> </I>to show that one is ashamed. <BR> <I>Ex. He ought to hide his head after the way he mistreated that poor animal.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>keep one's head,</B> </I>to stay calm; not to get excited. <BR> <I>Ex. If only the man in the post of responsibility ... can ... keep his head (George O. Trevelyan).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>keep one's head above water,</B> </I>to avoid failure, loss, defeat, depression, or death. <BR> <I>Ex. Farmer Dobson, were I to marry him, has promised to keep our heads above water (Tennyson).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>keep one's head down,</B> </I>to make oneself inconspicuous; keep out of trouble. <BR> <I>Ex. The militant shop stewards have been keeping their heads down for months, both in London and Hull, under the impression that the Industrial Relations Act would be used to attack them if they became too prominent (Sunday Times).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>lay heads together,</B> <DD><B> a. </B>to plan or plot together. </I> <I>Ex. They will lay their heads together and conspire against the ... public (Ralph Robinson).</I> <DD><B> b. </B>to confer. <BR> <I>Ex. ... and there lay their heads together and consult of matters (John Bunyan).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>light in the head,</B> <DD><B> a. </B>dizzy. </I> <I>Ex. The ride on the roller coaster made him feel light in the head.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>silly; foolish. <BR> <I>Ex. She blushed, giggled, and became light in the head in the company of boys.</I> <DD><B> c. </B>crazy; out of one's head. <BR> <I>Ex. Everybody thought that the old prospector still searching for gold was a little light in the head.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>lose one's head,</B> </I>to get excited; lose one's self-control. <BR> <I>Ex. The Embassy had been told ... , in explanation of the attack, that "a few people lost their heads" (London Times).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>make head,</B> </I>to move forward; make progress; advance. <BR> <I>Ex. They made head against the winds as best they could (Dickens).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>make head or tail of,</B> </I>to make any sense out of; understand. <BR> <I>Ex. His handwriting is so poor that I can't make head or tail of his letter.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>off</B> (or <B>out</B>) <B>of one's head,</B> </I>(Informal.) crazy; insane. <BR> <I>Ex. He transferred an inspector from one plant after Mr. Rubin had complained that the man "was off his head" (New York Times).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>on</B> (or <B>upon</B>) <B>one's head,</B> <DD><B> a. </B>on one's responsibility. </I> <I>Ex. The children's safety was on the teacher's head.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>falling, descending, or resting on a person. <BR> <I>Ex. The ... threats of vengeance on his head (Alexander Pope).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>out of one's own head,</B> </I>by one's own efforts; without borrowing ideas from others. <BR> <I>Ex. It came from you, and not out of my own head (Daniel Defoe).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>over head and ears,</B> <DD><B> a. </B>completely immersed. </I> <I>Ex. The poor lad plumped over head and ears into the water (Henry Fielding).</I> <DD><B> b. </B>(Figurative.) deeply involved, as in love or debt. <BR> <I>Ex. You are over head and ears in debt (Anthony Trollope).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>over one's head,</B> <DD><B> a. </B>too hard for one to understand. </I> <I>Ex. Einstein's theory is way over my head.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>to a person higher in authority. <BR> <I>Ex. Since her immediate superior didn't want to listen to her suggestion, she went over his head.</I> <DD><B> c. </B>passing over a person without giving him a chance to act, especially a person who has a senior status, a prior claim, or a better right. <BR> <I>Ex. An outsider has now been promoted over their heads.</I> <DD><B> d. </B>deeply involved. <BR> <I>Ex. He is over his head in gambling debts.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>put heads together,</B> <DD><B> a. </B>to confer; consult. </I> <I>Ex. We'll put heads together and consider what is to be done (Sabine Baring-Gould).</I> <DD><B> b. </B>to plan or plot together; conspire. <BR> <I>Ex. The rebels put heads together to plan the overthrow of the government.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>put one's head in the lion's mouth,</B> </I>to put oneself in a dangerous position. <BR> <I>Ex. He was warned not to put his head in the lion's mouth by going into the unexplored part of the cave.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>rear an</B> (or <B>one's</B>) <B>ugly head,</B> </I>to make an unwelcome appearance. <BR> <I>Ex. One of the old bogies of golf, the claiming of a hole for a putt not conceded, reared its ugly head again (London Times).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>set on one's head,</B> </I>to upset, confuse, or destroy the normal condition of. <BR> <I>Ex. Yorkshire gloried in the return of Boycott as captain--and he and they immediately set cricket on its head with a magnificent victory over Warwickshire (Manchester Guardian Weekly).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>shake one's head,</B> </I>to turn one's head from side to side in expressing denial, disapproval, dissent, doubt, scorn, sorrow, or other negative attitude. <BR> <I>Ex. "No, I shan't!" said Molly, shaking her head (Elizabeth C. Gaskell).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>snap one's head off,</B> </I>to speak to one in a sharply rude or harsh manner. <BR> <I>Ex. He had snapped Mr. Harold Wilson's head off the previous day, but ... was in command of himself when he ended the debate (Manchester Guardian).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>take it into one's head,</B> <DD><B> a. </B>to get the idea. </I> <I>Ex. The balance is lost if a rear-seat passenger takes it into his head to move from one side to the other (New Scientist).</I> <DD><B> b. </B>to plan; intend. <BR> <I>Ex. I took it into my head to walk up and down the gallery (Benjamin Disraeli).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>talk one's head off,</B> </I>to talk endlessly. <BR> <I>Ex. Don't get her started; she'll talk your head off!</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>turn one's head,</B> <DD><B> a. </B>to make one conceited. </I> <I>Ex. Winning the contest turned his head so that he is now insufferable.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>to affect the mind. <BR> <I>Ex. The bad news must have turned his head, else he wouldn't act so queerly.</I> <DD><B> c. </B>to make one dizzy. <BR> <I>Ex. The dancing had turned her head, so that she had to lean on him to keep her balance.</I> adj. <B>headlike.</B> </DL>
