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head case
noun
plural head cases
: a foolish or eccentric person
also, sometimes offensive
: someone who is mentally unsound
Synonyms
Examples of head case in a Sentence
Her brother's a real head case.
brought in a counselor to work with the student they worried might be a head case
Recent Examples on the Web
My question is, with what AB did to the Raiders, Why would Gruden/Mayock want to take another head case like Jalen Ramsey?
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Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 20 Sep. 2019
Brown is the foremost head case and headache in the NFL.
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BostonGlobe.com, 10 Sep. 2019
Whiteside has a reputation of being a bit of a head case, and also, in need of motivation.
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oregonlive.com, 1 July 2019
One game Kevin Durant is a head case, the next he’s dialed in.
—
Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 June 2018
Here’s a toast to both of them, performing in such relevant games after being written off as hopeless head cases earlier in their careers.
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Bruce Jenkins, San Francisco Chronicle, 31 May 2018
Grant Goodrich of Cleveland, who heads Case Western Reserve University's Great Lakes Energy Institute, collected $72,192 in the quarter, spent $28,273 and had $48,919 in the bank.
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Sabrina Eaton, cleveland.com, 16 Apr. 2018
Then again, the finale may just add to the mystery, and turn not just a few, but every single character into a head case tortured by strange, traumatic visions and memories.
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Kristi Turnquist, OregonLive.com, 12 Apr. 2018
Neither of the Aboutaam brothers has been charged with any wrongdoing related to any of these investigations or to the bull’s head case.
—
Georgi Kantchev, WSJ, 27 Sep. 2017
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Word History
First Known Use
1965, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near head case
Cite this Entry
“Head case.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/head%20case. Accessed 18 Feb. 2025.
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