towhead

noun

tow·​head ˈtō-ˌhed 

plural towheads

1

: a head of hair that is light blond or tousled : a head of hair resembling tow (see tow entry 3 sense 1)

His towhead looks as though it has not seen a comb in some time.

—Frank Rizzo

At age 16, [Broc] Glover, better known as the "Golden Boy" because of his towhead, stormed onto the National circuit …

—Scott Hoffman

also : a person having such a head of hair

I was white blonde until I was 6 and my three babies—all brunette now—were towheads until they were also that age.

—Carolyn Ten Broeck

2

: a low alluvial island or shoal in a river : sandbar

towheaded

ˈtō-ˌhe-dəd 

adjective

Examples of towhead in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The notion, like the uncouth, wispy-haired towhead himself, was an easy mark for Bennett, who took aim following Greeley’s sermon on the coverage of the New Jersey murder. —James M. Lundberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Mar. 2020

An outdoorsy, blue-eyed towhead, Jim, was living in the house next door, right on the beach. —Alison Rose, Town & Country, 16 Dec. 2012

The towhead flashes his dad a cheeky smile, grabs a puppy by his neck roll, and runs off down a hill with his seven-year-old brother, Federico, to find some chickens. —J.j. Martin, Harper's BAZAAR, 21 Dec. 2007

Word History

Etymology

tow entry 3 + head entry 1

First Known Use

1829, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

towhead

noun

tow·​head ˈtō-ˌhed 

: a person with very light blond hair