head
noun [ C ]
uk/hed/ usa person who is in charge of a team, department, or an organization:
Each department head has a great deal of freedom with regard to decision-making.
The proposal awaits final approval by a meeting of EU heads of state next month.
If you are a single parent, you can reduce your tax liability by filing as a head of household with a dependent child.
a head buyer/cashier/trader
one person considered as a unit:
cost/price/spend per head The region saw incomes per head fall by an average 4 per cent a year over the past decade.
The airline offered maximum compensation of £150 a head to anyone whose flight was disrupted by the strike action.
be/get in over your head
to be involved in something that is too difficult for you to deal with:
He denied fraud saying he was a businessman who just got in over his head.
bury/have your head in the sand
to refuse to think about a problem or difficult situation that could have unpleasant effects:
The dangers of identity theft are clear but many companies still choose to bury their heads in the sand and act only after there has been a security breach.
come to a head (also bring sth to a head)
if a difficult situation comes to a head, or someone brings it to a head, it reaches a stage when someone must take strong action to deal with it:
The row came to a head when the US imposed one billion dollars in taxes on a whole range of consumer goods.
get your head round/around sth
to manage to understand something:
It's hard to get your head round these new tax laws.
get/keep your head down UK informal
to put all your effort into finishing a particular task:
If I get my head down, I'll be able to finish the report before the end of the day.
to do or say as little as possible in order to avoid attention:
The chairman intends to keep his head down until his disagreement with the serious fraud office is settled.
go over sb's head
to deal with someone at a higher level:
He was furious that staff had gone over his head to try and implement departmental changes without his approval.
to be too difficult for someone to understand:
Most of the budget meeting went over my head.
have a (good) head for sth
to be very good at something:
She had a good head for business.
head on
if you deal with something head on, you deal with it directly and with determination:
Leading corporations are tackling their carbon emissions head on.
if you compete head on with another business, you offer the same products or services and each try to be more successful than the other:
The merger should enable the bank to compete head on with the other major investment institutions.
heads will roll
used to say that people are likely to be punished or lose their jobs because of something they have done:
Sources close to the bank have denied suggestions that heads will roll following the huge losses reported this week.
keep your head above water
to try to manage a difficult situation, especially when it involves a lot of work or a lack of money:
The business has lurched from one financial crisis to another but we have managed to keep our heads above water.
put our/your/their heads together
to work together with others to solve a problem or deal with a difficult situation:
If we want to remain competitive, we'd better put our heads together and come up with new ways of reaching our market.
two heads are better than one
used to say that two people working together will achieve more than one person working alone
See also
block noun
turn verb
heads of agreement
head start
heads-up
head tax
head-to-head adverb
head-to-head adjective
head
verb
uk/hed/ us [ T ] HR
to lead or manage a team, department, organization, etc.:
After five years in the US office, he returns to London to head the finance department.
[ I ]
to move in a particular direction or towards a particular result:
be headed for/towards sth The corporate bond market is heading for its worst year in a decade as prices continue to fall.
These initial signs of recovery show the company is once again headed in the right direction.
[ T, passive ]
to put a title at the top of a page, column, etc.:
The report was headed "confidential".
head north/south
FINANCE, STOCK MARKET informal
if share prices or currencies head north, they increase in value, and if they head south, they lose value:
The job cuts followed significant drops in stock values when the Nasdaq headed south.
Phrasal verbs
head down
head sth off
head up