head
head
/hed/
part of body
1 countable the part of the body on top of the neck containing the eyes, nose, mouth and brain She nodded her head in agreement.
He shook his head in disbelief.
The boys hung their heads in shame.
She turned her head to look at him.
They bowed their heads in prayer.
She tilted her head back and closed her eyes.
to raise/lift/lower your head
He was shot in the head and died ten minutes later.
The driver suffered head injuries.
He still has a good head of hair (= a lot of hair).
a woman with a beautiful head of chestnut hair
He lay writhing on the ground, clutching his head in pain.
He put his head around the door.
He put his head in his hands, exasperated.
He scratched his head, not understanding a word.
He shaved his head and became a monk.
He threw his head back and laughed out loud.
Her head tilted to one side as she considered the question.
His head drooped and tears fell into his lap.
I banged my head on the door frame.
I'm normally asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.
She declined with a brief shake of the head.
She jerked her head in the direction of the door.
She rested her head on his shoulder.
She sat with bowed head.
The ambassador dismissed him with a curt nod of the head.
The city gates were adorned with severed heads.
The soldiers were ordered to fire over the heads of the crowd.
The thunder burst with a grand crash above our heads.
Collocations
adjective
barebaldshaved…
verb + head
pokepopput…
head + verb
achepoundthrob…
head + noun
injurycold
preposition
above your headover your head
phrases
from head to footfrom head to toea fine, full, good, thick, etc. head of hair
mind
I sometimes wonder what goes on in that head of yours.
I wish you'd use your head (= think carefully before doing or saying something).
The thought never entered my head.
His head was spinning (= he felt dizzy or confused) after only one drink.
in somebody's head I can't work it out in my head—I need a calculator.
She started hearing voices in her head.
into somebody's head Who's been putting such weird ideas into your head (= making you believe that)?
out of somebody's head I can't get that tune out of my head.
Try to put the exams out of your head (= stop thinking about them).
It was the first name that popped into my head.
It was an accident, said a voice inside his head.
I decided to go for a walk to clear my head.
He looked at me as if I needed my head examined.
It never entered my head that he might be lying.
Collocations
adjective
clearcoollevel…
verb + head
useenterpop into…
head + verb
spin
preposition
in your headinside your head
phrases
can’t get your head round somethingneed your head examinedyour thick head…
measurement
3 a head singular the size of a person’s or animal’s head, used as a measurement of distance or height She's a good head taller than her sister.
The favourite won by a short head (= a distance slightly less than the length of a horse's head).
pain
I woke up with a really bad head this morning.
of group/organization
head of something the heads of government/state
She resigned as head of department.
I've asked the department head for an appointment.
a former head of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange
He is deputy head of the National Railway Museum.
the crowned heads (= the kings and queens) of Europe
I was head coach of a Little League basketball team in Pittsburgh.
the head gardener/chef/waiter
He is only the nominal head of the company.
The King is titular head of the Church of England.
The Bishop is head of the Church in Kenya.
Collocations
adjective
head + noun
phrases
a head of departmentthe head of the familythe head of the household
of school/college
6 countable (often Head) (British English) the person in charge of a school or college I've been called in to see the Head.
the deputy head
I remember sitting outside the Head's office waiting to be called in.
She is deputy head of Greenlands Comprehensive, a struggling inner city school.
The minister has written to every secondary head in Scotland.
side of coin
7 heads uncountable the side of a coin that has a picture of the head of a person on it, used as one choice when a coin is tossed to decide something I called heads and it came down tails.
compare tail
Topics Preferences and decisionsc1
Collocations
verb + heads
phrases
heads or tails?
end of object
the head of a nail
top
9 singular head of something the top or highest part of something at the head of the page
They finished the season at the head of their league.
of river
10 singular the head of the river the place where a river begins of table
11 singular the head of the table the most important seat at a table The President sat at the head of the table.
of line of people
12 singular the head of something the position at the front of a line of people The prince rode at the head of his regiment.
of plant
13 countable head (of something) the mass of leaves or flowers at the end of a stem Remove the dead heads to encourage new growth.
on beer
14 singular the mass of small bubbles on the top of a glass of beer of spot
15 countable the part of a spot on your skin that contains a thick yellow liquid (= pus) in recording system
16 countable the component of a sound or video recording system that converts data on the disk or tape into digital electronic data (and the other way round) number of animals
17 head of something plural used to say how many animals of a particular type are on a farm, in a herd, etc. 200 head of sheep
sex
18 uncountable (taboo, slang) oral sex (= using the mouth to give somebody sexual pleasure) to give head
linguistics
19 countable the central part of a phrase, which has the same grammatical function as the whole phrase. In the phrase ‘the tall man in a suit’, man is the head. Idioms
bang/knock your/their heads together
(informal) to force people to stop arguing and behave in a sensible way
Topics Opinion and argumentc2
be banging, etc. your head against a brick wall
(informal) to keep trying to do something that will never be successful
Trying to reason with them was like banging my head against a brick wall.
Topics Difficulty and failurec2
be/stand head and shoulders above somebody/something
to be much better than other people or things
His performance stood head and shoulders above the rest.
bite/snap somebody’s head off
(informal) to shout at somebody in an angry way, especially without reason
bring something to a head | come to a head
if you bring a situation to a head or if a situation comes to a head, you are forced to deal with it quickly because it suddenly becomes very bad
The chairman's resignation finally brought matters to a head.
The dispute finally came to a head in March that year.
Things came to a head when several of the nurses made a formal complaint.
bury/hide your head in the sand
to refuse to admit that a problem exists or refuse to deal with it
can’t make head nor/or tail of something
to be unable to understand something
I couldn't make head nor tail of what he was saying.
do somebody’s head in
(British English, informal) to make somebody feel confused, upset and/or annoyed
Shut up! You're doing my head in.
Topics Personal qualitiesc2
do something standing on your head
(informal) to be able to do something very easily and without having to think too much
drum something into somebody’s head
(also drum something into somebody)
to make somebody remember something by repeating it a lot of times
from head to foot/toe
covering your whole body
We were covered from head to foot in mud.
She was dressed from head to toe in red.
get your head down
(informal)
(British English) to sleep
I managed to get my head down for an hour.
(also keep your head down) to avoid attracting attention to yourself
get your head round something
(British English, informal) to be able to understand or accept something
She's dead. I can't get my head round it yet.
get it into your head (that…)
to start to understand or think something
When will you get it into your head that I don't want to discuss this any more!
For some reason she's got it into her head that I don't like her.
give somebody their head
to allow somebody to do what they want without trying to stop them
give somebody ideas | put ideas into somebody’s head
to give somebody hopes about something that may not be possible or likely; to make somebody act or think in an unreasonable way
Who's been putting ideas into his head?
go head to head (with somebody)
to deal with somebody in a very direct and determined way
The company will be going head to head with the giant of the pharmaceuticals market.
go to somebody’s head
(of alcohol) to make you feel drunk
That glass of wine has gone straight to my head.
(of success, praise, etc.) to make you feel too proud of yourself in a way that other people find annoying
have eyes in the back of your head
to be aware of everything that is happening around you, even things that seem difficult or impossible to see
You can’t get away with anything in her class. She has eyes in the back of her head.
have a good head on your shoulders
to be a sensible person
have a head for something
to be good at something
to have a head for figures/business
if somebody does not have a head for heights, they feel nervous and think they are going to fall when they look down from a high place
have your head/nose in a book
to be reading
She always has her nose in a book.
have your head in the clouds
to be thinking about something that is not connected with what you are doing
to have ideas, plans, etc. that are not realistic
have your head screwed on (the right way)
(informal) to be a sensible person
have a roof over your head
to have somewhere to live
Thanks to Bob’s generosity, I still have a roof over my head.
a/per head
for each person
The meal worked out at $20 a head.
Topics Moneyc1
head first
moving forwards or downwards with your head in front of the rest of your body
He fell head first down the stairs.
without thinking carefully about something before acting
synonym headlong
She got divorced and rushed head first into another marriage.
your head is spinning | make your head spin
your head feels as though it is going round and round and you cannot balance, especially because you are ill or confused or have had a shock; to make you feel like this
Her head was spinning from the pain.
His theories on economics are enough to make your head spin.
head of steam
the pressure produced by steam in a small space
The old engine still manages to build up a good head of steam.
a situation in which somebody/something becomes gradually more active or successful
This campaign has been steadily building up a head of steam.
United have recently gathered a head of steam in the title race.
head over heels in love
loving somebody very much
He's fallen head over heels in love with his boss.
Topics Feelingsc2
heads or tails?
used to ask somebody which side of a coin they think will be facing upwards when it is tossed in order to decide something by chance
heads will roll (for something)
(informal, usually humorous) used to say that some people will be punished because of something that has happened
hit the nail on the head
to say something that is exactly right
hold/put a gun to somebody’s head
to force somebody to do something that they do not want to do, by making threats
hold your head high | hold up your head
to be proud of or not feel ashamed about something that you have done
She managed to hold her head high and ignore what people were saying.
I’ll knock your block/head off!
(informal) used to threaten somebody that you will hit them
in over your head
involved in something that is too difficult for you to deal with
After a week in the new job, I soon realized that I was in over my head.
keep your head | keep a clear/cool head
to remain calm in a difficult situation
She needed to keep a clear head if she was to remain in control.
keep your head above water
to deal with a difficult situation, especially one in which you have financial problems, and just manage to survive
I’m not sure how much longer we’ll be able to keep our heads above water.
keep/get your head down
to avoid attracting attention to yourself
If I were you, I’d keep your head down for a couple of weeks.
laugh your head off
(informal) to laugh very loudly and for a long time
laugh, scream, etc. your head off
(informal) to laugh, etc. a lot and very loudly
let your heart rule your head
to act according to what you feel rather than to what you think is sensible
like a bear with a sore head
in a bad mood; in an angry way
I should keep out of his way. He’s like a bear with a sore head this morning.
lose your head
to become unable to act in a calm or sensible way
mess with somebody's head
(informal) to make somebody feel annoyed, anxious or upset
When they spend all this time on social media, they are seeing things that mess with their heads.
need (to have) your head examined
(informal) to be crazy
not bother yourself/your head with/about something
(especially British English) to not spend time/effort on something, because it is not important or you are not interested in it
not harm/touch a hair of somebody’s head
to not hurt somebody physically in any way
off the top of your head
(informal) just guessing or using your memory, without taking time to think carefully or check the facts
I can't remember the name off the top of my head, but I can look it up for you.
Topics Doubt, guessing and certaintyc2
(have) an old head on young shoulders
used to describe a young person who acts in a more sensible way than you would expect for a person of their age
on your (own) head be it
used to tell somebody that they will have to accept any unpleasant results of something that they decide to do
Tell him the truth if you want to, but on your own head be it!
out of/off your head
(British English, informal)
crazy
not knowing what you are saying or doing because of the effects of alcohol or drugs
over somebody’s head
too difficult or complicated for somebody to understand
A lot of the jokes went (= were) right over my head.
to a higher position of authority than somebody
I couldn't help feeling jealous when she was promoted over my head.
I’m not happy that you went over my head to ask for this time off.
a price on somebody’s head
an amount of money that is offered for capturing or killing somebody
Ever since he killed the gang’s leader, there has been a price on his head.
put/lay your head/neck on the block
to risk losing your job, damaging your reputation, etc. by doing or saying something
It's not a matter that I'm prepared to put my head on the block for.
put our/your/their heads together
to think about or discuss something as a group
something rears its (ugly) head
if something unpleasant rears its head or rears its ugly head, it appears or happens
ring in your ears/head
to make you feel that you can still hear something
His warning was still ringing in my ears.
scratch your head (over something)
to think hard in order to find an answer to something
Experts have been scratching their heads over the increase in teenage crime.
stand/turn something on its head
to make people think about something in a completely different way
stick in your head/mind
(of a memory, an image, etc.) to be remembered for a long time
One of his paintings in particular sticks in my mind.
take it into your head that…
to suddenly start thinking something, especially something that other people think is stupid
take it into your head to do something
to suddenly decide to do something, especially something that other people think is stupid
a thick head
(informal) a physical condition in which your head is painful or you cannot think clearly as a result of an illness or of drinking too much alcohol
You’re going to have a thick head in the morning!
turn somebody’s head
(of success, praise, etc.) to make a person feel too proud in a way that other people find annoying
two heads are better than one
(saying) used to say that two people can achieve more than one person working alone
Topics Successc2
use your head
(British English also use your loaf)
(informal) used to tell somebody to think about something, especially when they have asked for your opinion or said something stupid
‘Why don't you want to see him again?’ ‘Oh, use your head!’
head
/hed/
move towards
1 intransitive (also be headed) + adv./prep. to move in a particular direction Where are we heading?
Where are you two headed?
Let's head back home.
She headed for the door.
We headed north.
Head towards the mall.
The boat was heading out to sea.
(figurative) Can you forecast where the economy is heading?
She stood up and headed toward the exit.
We headed straight back to school.
We headed west for two days.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
northnorthwardsetc.…
preposition
back tofortowards/toward…
group/organization
(also head something up)
to lead or be in charge of something
She has been appointed to head the research team.
to head a committee/delegation
to head an investigation/inquiry
a terrorist group headed by a former army officer
He heads up the bank's corporate arm.
The committee will be headed jointly by two men.
The delegation will be headed by Lord Arthur.
Eight out of ten children came from a family headed by both natural parents.
He ended up heading a minority government.
Collocations
verb + head
appoint somebody to
list/line of people
3 transitive head something to be at the top of a list of names or at the front of a line of people Italy heads the table after two games.
Orlando, Florida, heads the list of most popular summer destinations.
to head a march/procession
be at top
be headed… The chapter was headed ‘My Early Life’.
football
5 transitive head something to hit a football with your head Kerr headed the ball into an empty goal.
Phrasal Verbs
Word Origin
Old English hēafod, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch hoofd and German Haupt.