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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of headman
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
For whatever reason, contract talks fell through leaving the NFL’s most prestigious franchise without a headman to begin their offseason.
—Kambui Bomani, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
Jon Merrill came on for Bogosian and got caught flat-footed when Manson hit a headman pass to the blue line for O’Connor.
—Michael Russo, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
His father is the village sarpanch, or headman, and the family owns valuable farmland.
—Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 2 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for headman
Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 6 Sep. 2025
For whatever reason, contract talks fell through leaving the NFL’s most prestigious franchise without a headman to begin their offseason.
—Kambui Bomani, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
Jon Merrill came on for Bogosian and got caught flat-footed when Manson hit a headman pass to the blue line for O’Connor.
—Michael Russo, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
His father is the village sarpanch, or headman, and the family owns valuable farmland.
—Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 2 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for headman
Recent Examples of Synonyms for headman
Noun
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Meanwhile, senior leaders at Arizona State University were quietly hosting 30 leaders from Korean technical colleges to discuss how the United States might learn from their success in developing an AI-ready workforce.—
David Ignatius,
Washington Post,
11 Feb. 2026
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But almost immediately after, scrappy rivals like Microsoft and Apple came along to chip away at IBM’s market leader status.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Rebecca will also meet Tom's foreman, Nash McCabe (Brad Abramenko), and his wife, Peggy (Chelsea Hobbs).—
Breanne L. Heldman,
PEOPLE,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Magaña shows him how to maneuver the blade around a thick trunk, as the foreman kicks it loose.—
Cindy Von Quednow,
CNN Money,
17 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Your ability to charm bosses and VIPs will be excellent.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
10 Feb. 2026
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Her mother lost her job because her boss is uncomfortable employing someone with an ankle monitor.—
Mica Rosenberg,
CNN Money,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The report was filed in April 2020, and the chief’s name was revealed to be Michael Reiter years later.—
Washington Examiner Staff,
The Washington Examiner,
10 Feb. 2026
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Despite the long history of elite WTA players mastering the art of the moonball, Caroline Wozniacki and Angelique Kerber chief among them, sending tennis balls into the atmosphere still draws out the sport’s eternal, often cursed relationship between style and ethics.—
James Hansen,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The pivotal match came in the 190-class between Ramona senior captain Kaitlyn Peck and Imperial’s Yarely Vasquez, the top seed.—
Stephanie Ogilvie,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
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Hannah Bilka scored twice, and the United States’ youth and speed overwhelmed a Canadian women’s hockey team missing its captain in a 5-0 win at the Milan Cortina Games.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The center will introduce a new bachelor’s degree in space physics and data science, and a new fast-track master’s degree.—
Samuel O’Neal
February 10,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Holmes, the master scholar-biographer of Coleridge and Shelley, is ideally qualified for such a gig.—
James Parker,
The Atlantic,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Treatment was largely ad hoc and depended to a considerable degree on individual commanders, but customarily prisoners would be exchanged or placed on parole—granted their freedom but required by oath not to return to military action.—
Drew Gilpin Faust,
The Atlantic,
8 Feb. 2026
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Tom Homan, the administration’s border czar, was sent in to replace Greg Bovino, the controversial on-the-ground commander who critics say fueled conflict.—
Alicia Diaz,
Fortune,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Over the course of her career, Karen Powers worked in the offices of three State Farm agents as a kind of office manager with, eventually, duties of selling insurance herself.—
J.C. Hallman,
Oklahoman,
10 Feb. 2026
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The restaurant’s general manager, Saskia Baden, likens it to a Mediterranean bento box.—
Laurie Ochoa,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Headman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/headman. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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