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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of headman
According to Matchroom headman Eddie Hearn, Stevenson tore a tendon in his hand.
—
Brian Mazique, Forbes, 11 Sep. 2024
In December, 1639, several local Munsee headmen sold five hundred acres of land adjoining the river to Jonas Bronck, a Swede who had arrived on his own ship, the Fire of Troy.
—Ian Frazier, The New Yorker, 15 July 2024
The Muscogee Creek headman Tomochichi, for example, visited London in 1734 and expressed surprise that the British king lived in a palace with an unnecessarily large number of rooms.
—Kathleen Duval, The Atlantic, 2 Apr. 2024
Following orders to investigate drug use in Phetchabun province, the local sheriff and village headman in Bung Sam Phan subdistrict, some 150 miles north of Bangkok, poked around schools, factories and temples in search of drug addicts and dealers so they could be sent for rehabilitation.
—Bryan Pietsch, Washington Post, 1 Dec. 2022
See All Example Sentences for headman
Brian Mazique, Forbes, 11 Sep. 2024
In December, 1639, several local Munsee headmen sold five hundred acres of land adjoining the river to Jonas Bronck, a Swede who had arrived on his own ship, the Fire of Troy.
—Ian Frazier, The New Yorker, 15 July 2024
The Muscogee Creek headman Tomochichi, for example, visited London in 1734 and expressed surprise that the British king lived in a palace with an unnecessarily large number of rooms.
—Kathleen Duval, The Atlantic, 2 Apr. 2024
Following orders to investigate drug use in Phetchabun province, the local sheriff and village headman in Bung Sam Phan subdistrict, some 150 miles north of Bangkok, poked around schools, factories and temples in search of drug addicts and dealers so they could be sent for rehabilitation.
—Bryan Pietsch, Washington Post, 1 Dec. 2022
See All Example Sentences for headman
Recent Examples of Synonyms for headman
Noun
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In a mid-January poll by Nanos, the Liberals trailed the opposition Conservatives and their leader Pierre Poilievre 47% to 20%.—
Rob Gillies,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Mar. 2025
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The protests have been slamming Tesla CEO Elon Musk — de facto leader of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE — over his spearheading of the Trump administration’s government jobs- and funding-slashing agenda.—
Nicholas Williams,
New York Daily News,
9 Mar. 2025
Noun
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By Wednesday evening, the jury’s foreman was having an Old Style and a cigarette in front of his Beverly home, snowflakes piling up on his head and in his mustache.—
Ray Long,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Feb. 2025
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Well, the foreman thought there was some life left and administered a dose of la grippe medicine.—
Contributed Content,
Twin Cities,
7 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Since Glossip’s 1998 conviction as the alleged orchestrator of a murder-for-hire scheme targeting his boss, Oklahoma City motel owner Barry Van Treese, a raft of issues with his prosecution has surfaced, coinciding with a shift of political winds now at the inmate’s back.—
Dakin Andone,
CNN,
28 Feb. 2025
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And while Republic boss Leva Bonaparte is there — alongside series regulars Mia Alario, Joe Bradley, Bradley Carter, TJ Dinch, Grace Lilly, Molly Moore, Michols Peña, Maddi Reese, Lake Rucker, Emmy Sharrett, and Austin Stephan — there's one person missing in action: Emmy's boyfriend, Will Kulp.—
Dave Quinn,
People.com,
27 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Still, the mayor and her police chief maintain that state control does not necessarily reduce crime.—
Jeremy Kohler,
ProPublica,
27 Feb. 2025
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Typically, board members don’t sit in on bargaining sessions, as the district chief negotiates collective bargaining agreements on their behalf.—
Nell Salzman,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Mary, too, served in the Army from 2016 to 2020, also leaving as a captain.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
5 Mar. 2025
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Bayne, one of this year’s captains, was at the state championship game in 2015.—
Lori Riley,
Hartford Courant,
4 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Every master craftsman had their own tools – often specialized and always prized possessions handed down from generation to generation.—
John Sviokla,
Forbes,
8 Mar. 2025
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The future might look like joint ownership, ownership until an investment is returned, or joint ownership for 10 or 15 years, before the masters are returned to their owners.—
Steven Fabos,
Rolling Stone,
7 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Smith said he was made aware of the plan during a meeting with the commander of U.S. Northern Command, Gen. Gregory M. Guillot.—
David Catanese,
Miami Herald,
28 Feb. 2025
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Special ops commanders say America is struggling to keep up with adversaries in the technological field Rear Adm. Milton Sands III, Maj. Gen. Peter Huntley, Lt. Gen. Jonathan Braga and Lt. Gen. Michael Conley urged Congress to take action to help U.S. troops advance.—
Rachel Wolf,
Fox News,
27 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Morale at the agency is extremely low, the source said, as staff are crying in meetings and managers are trying to reassure their employees during a time of great uncertainty.—
Jenna McLaughlin,
NPR,
28 Feb. 2025
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However, earlier this week, Browns general manager Andrew Berry insisted the team is not interested in trading the star defensive end.—
Ryan Morik,
Fox News,
28 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Headman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/headman. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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