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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. The driver suffered head injuries. She always has her head in a book (= is always reading). He still has a good head of hair (= a lot of hair). Topic CollocationsPhysical AppearanceA person may be described as having:eyes
- (bright) blue/green/(dark/light) brown/hazel eyes
- deep-set/sunken/bulging/protruding eyes
- small/beady/sparkling/twinkling/shifty eyes
- piercing/penetrating/steely eyes
- bloodshot/watery/puffy eyes
- bushy/thick/dark/raised/arched eyebrows
- long/dark/thick/curly/false eyelashes/lashes
- a flat/bulbous/pointed/sharp/snub nose
- a straight/a pointy/a Roman/an aquiline nose
- full/thick/thin/pouty lips
- dry/chapped/cracked lips
- flushed/rosy/red/ruddy/pale cheeks
- soft/chubby/sunken cheeks
- white/perfect/crooked/protruding teeth
- a large/high/broad/wide forehead
- a strong/weak/pointed/double chin
- a long/full/bushy/wispy beard
- a full/thin goatee
- a long/thin/bushy/droopy/handlebar/pencil mustache
- pale/fair/olive/dark/tanned skin
- dry/oily/smooth/rough/leathery/wrinkled skin
- a dark/pale/light/sallow/ruddy/olive/swarthy/clear complexion
- deep/fine/small/facial wrinkles
- blonde/blond/fair/(light/dark) brown/(jet-)black/auburn/red/ginger/gray hair
- straight/curly/wavy/frizzy/spiky hair
- thick/thin/fine/bushy/thinning hair
- dyed/bleached/soft/silky/dry/greasy/shiny hair
- long/short/shoulder-length/cropped hair
- a bald/balding/shaved head
- a receding hairline
- a bald patch/spot
- a side/center part
- a long/short/thick/slender/ (disapproving) scrawny neck
- broad/narrow/sloping/rounded/hunched shoulders
- a bare/broad/muscular/small/large chest
- a flat/round/swollen/bulging stomach
- a small/tiny/narrow/slim/slender/28-inch waist
- big/wide/narrow/slim hips
- a straight/bent/arched/broad/hairy back
- thin/slender/muscular arms
- big/large/small/manicured/calloused/gloved hands
- long/short/fat/slender/delicate/bony fingers
- long/muscular/hairy/shapely/ (informal) (often disapproving) skinny/spindly legs
- muscular/chubby/ (informal) (disapproving) flabby thighs/calves
- big/little/small/dainty/wide/narrow/bare feet
- a good/slim/slender/hourglass figure
- be of slim/medium/average/large/athletic/stocky build
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mind - 2[countable] the mind or brain 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. I can't work it out in my head—I need a calculator. I can't get that tune out of my head. When will you get it into your head (= understand) that I don't want to discuss this anymore! For some reason, she's got it into her head (= believes) that the others don't like her. Who's been putting such weird ideas into your head (= making you believe that)? Try to put the exams out of your head (= stop thinking about them) for tonight. see hothead
- 3a 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 favorite won by a short head (= a distance slightly less than the length of a horse's head). pain
- 4[countable, usually singular] (informal) a continuous pain in your head synonym headache I woke up with a really bad head this morning. of group/organization
- 5[countable, uncountable] the person in charge of a group of people or an organization the heads of government/state the crowned heads (= the kings and queens) of Europe the head gardener/waiter, etc. side of coin
- 6heads [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 compare tail end of object
- 7[countable, usually singular] head (of something) the end of a long narrow object that is larger or wider than the rest of it the head of a nail
- 8[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
- 9[singular] the head of the river the place where a river begins synonym source of table
- 10[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
- 11[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
- 12[countable] head (of something) the mass of leaves or flowers at the end of a stem Remove the dead heads to encourage new growth.
- 13[singular] the mass of small bubbles on the top of a glass of beer of pimple
- 14[countable] the part of a spot on your skin that contains a thick yellow liquid (= pus) see blackhead in tape/video recorder
- 15[countable] the part of a tape recorder or video cassette recorder that touches the tape and changes the electrical signals into sounds and/or pictures number of animals
- 16head 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 of steam
- 17a head of steam [singular] the pressure produced by steam in a limited space The old engine still manages to build up a good head of steam.
- 18[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
- 1(of alcohol) to make you feel drunk That glass of wine has gone straight to my head.
- 2(of success, praise, etc.) to make you feel too proud of yourself in a way that other people find annoying
- 1to be thinking about something that is not connected with what you are doing
- 2to have ideas, plans, etc. that are not realistic
- 1moving forward or downward with your head in front of the rest of your body He fell head first down the stairs.
- 2without thinking carefully about something before acting She got divorced and rushed head first into another marriage.
- 1too difficult or complicated for someone to understand A lot of the jokes went (= were) right over my head.
- 2to a higher position of authority than someone 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.
part of body
to force people to stop arguing and behave in a sensible way
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.
to be much better than other people or things His performance stood head and shoulders above the rest.
to shout at someone in an angry way, especially without reason
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
to refuse to admit that a problem exists or refuse to deal with it
to be unable to understand something I couldn't make heads or tails of what he was saying.
to be able to do something very easily and without having to think too much
= drum something into somebody
covering your whole body We were covered from head to foot in mud. She was dressed from head to toe in red.
to be a sensible person
to give someone hopes about something that may not be possible or likely; to make someone act or think in an unreasonable way Who's been putting ideas into his head?
to deal with someone in a very direct and determined way The company will be going head to head with the giant of the pharmaceuticals market.
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.
to be a sensible person
to be good at something to have a head for figures/business
have your head screwed on (straight/right), get/have/keep your head on straight/right (informal) jump to other results
to have somewhere to live Thanks to Bob's generosity, I still have a roof over my head.
for each person The meal worked out at $20 a head.
loving someone very much He's fallen head over heels in love with his boss.
used to ask someone which side of a coin they think will be facing upward when it is tossed in order to decide something by chance
used to say that some people will be punished because of something that has happened
to say something that is exactly right
to force someone to do something that they do not want to do, by making threats
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.
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.
to remain calm in a difficult situation
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.
to avoid attracting attention to yourself If I were you, I'd keep your head down for a couple of weeks.
to laugh very loudly and for a long time
to laugh, etc. a lot and very loudly
to act according to what you feel rather than to what you think is sensible
to become unable to act in a calm or sensible way
to have no need or desire for something
to not hurt someone physically in any way
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.
an amount of money that is offered for capturing or killing someone Ever since he killed the gang's leader, there has been a price on his head.
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.
to think about or discuss something as a group
if something unpleasant rears its head or rears its ugly head, it appears or happens
to think hard in order to find an answer to something Experts have been scratching their heads over the increase in teenage crime.
to make people think about something in a completely different way
to suddenly decide to do something, especially something that other people think is stupid
used to show that you are annoyed that someone does not understand something When will you get it into your thick head that I don't want to see you again!
(of success, praise, etc.) to make a person feel too proud in a way that other people find annoying
used to say that two people can achieve more than one person working alone
Check pronunciation: head