HEADMAN Synonyms: 71 Similar and Opposite Words

headman

noun

Definition of headman

as in leader

the person (as an employer or supervisor) who tells people and especially workers what to do as headman at the newspaper 20 years ago, he hired the then-promising young reporter who won this year's Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of headman After Mattias Samuelsson checked Kaprizov off the puck and cleared the zone, Filip Gustavsson alertly gathered the puck and made a long headman pass to Kaprizov to catch some tired penalty killers changing. — Michael Russo, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2026 The New York Giants were the first team to have a head coach non-vacancy, with former Baltimore Ravens headman John Harbaugh taking his services to the Big Apple. — Jim Reineking, USA Today, 16 Jan. 2026 The child’s uncle, Salim Güran — the village headman — had been arrested earlier in the probe, per Hürriyet Daily News. — Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 6 Sep. 2025 Jerry Jones’ relationship with Colorado Buffaloes headman Deion Sanders is documented, but hiring Coach Prime may only be considered if the Cowboys pivot off of Prescott and draft Deion’s son Shedeur Sanders. — Kambui Bomani, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for headman

Recent Examples of Synonyms for headman

Noun

Tuesday night’s episode of NBC’s The Voice saw team leaders Kelly Clarkson, Adam Levine, Queen Latifah, and Riley Green complete their rosters as the Blind Auditions came to an end.

— Lars Brandle, Billboard, 7 Oct. 2026
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said the government and school leaders must listen to students' concerns and find solutions.

— NICOLAS GARRIGA, Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of leader

Noun

Rooms in the back of the second and third floors had mahogany window frames that peered into the main space, allowing a foreman to supervise workers.

— Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 11 Sep. 2026
The Nepal Electricity Authority named the two men who were rescued alive as 30-year-old Sanjay Sah, a mechanical foreman from Saptari district in eastern Nepal, and Kabir Maharjan, 45, a mechanical supervisor from Kathmandu.

— Bhadra Sharma, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of foreman

Noun

In addition to developing better medicines or perfumes, deciphering the mirror images of molecules can help scientists understand the chemical architecture of life, said chemist Holden Thorp, editor-in-chief of the journal Science.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 8 Oct. 2026
In a presentation to the Police Commission last month, the LAPD’s technology chief, Dean Gialamas, said that the department understood the privacy and civil liberty concerns raised about companies such as Flock.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of chief

Noun

The village's pedestrian-only strip weaves through small shops, restaurants, and boutiques, and there's a Naval Museum housed in a 19th-century captain’s mansion that highlights the island’s maritime history—and is worth a visit.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
Alex Ovechkin said Monday that his 22nd season in the NHL will be his last, beginning the farewell tour for the longtime Washington Capitals captain who holds the league's career goal-scoring record.

— ABC News, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of captain

Noun

Zhang plays optimistic puzzle master Florence, and Sula is Conrad’s estranged daughter and criminal psychologist Astrid.

— Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2026
Ted was accepted into a master’s program in data science at Columbia, but her own acceptance was at UC Berkeley.

— Ellen O’Connell Whittet, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of master

Noun

Last month, a court in The Hague, Netherlands, found former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci and three other former Kosovo Liberation Army commanders guilty of war crimes committed during the 1998-99 war for independence from Serbia.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026
Its ability to perform different missions allows commanders to employ the weapon against changing threats.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of commander

Noun

The deal, which Lago and the city manager worked on for years, is a renewal of a previous agreement and gives UM the ability to plan for more students, new housing and other buildings on its growing campus, including potentially a new hospital.

— Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026
In 2020 a 9-carat diamond was found by an Arkansas bank manager, and in 2024 a French man unearthed a 7-carat diamond.

— LAURA TURBAY, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of manager

Browse Nearby Words

headlong

headman

headmaster

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Headman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/headman. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of headman

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

inscrutable

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes