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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Recent Examples of headman
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
But since it was snapped up by La Réserve headman Michel Reybier, it’s been a little slice of heaven with big sea views for guests looking for respite from the St Tropez frenzy.
—Rooksana Hossenally, Forbes, 13 May 2022
See all Example Sentences for headman 
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
But since it was snapped up by La Réserve headman Michel Reybier, it’s been a little slice of heaven with big sea views for guests looking for respite from the St Tropez frenzy.
—Rooksana Hossenally, Forbes, 13 May 2022
See all Example Sentences for headman
Recent Examples of Synonyms for headman
Noun
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Today leaders of the world’s largest technology platforms kissed the president’s ring.—
Damon Beres,
The Atlantic,
20 Jan. 2025
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Attendees who made it inside the Rotunda and were seated directly behind the lectern included Trump’s Cabinet nominees and senior officials, former presidents and vice presidents, GOP donors and tech industry leaders like Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos and Sundar Pichai.—
Brett Samuels,
The Hill,
20 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Her father, the foreman at a tool-and-die plant, was part of the sitdown strikes of the thirties.—
Michael Schulman,
The New Yorker,
20 Jan. 2025
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Out-of-towners and locals swapped notes on who was coming and going, when new jobs were starting and what drama had gone down with a foreman.—
Jovelle Tamayo,
New York Times,
25 Dec. 2024
Noun
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For about 20 years, beating any two of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic at the same Grand Slam was the men’s tennis final boss.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
The Athletic,
23 Jan. 2025
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In the film, Gascón plays a Mexican crime boss who seeks out a lawyer (Saldaña) who can help the character transition into living as a woman.—
Kerry Breen,
CBS News,
23 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Success comes with its own complications—chief among them a narrowing pool of equally accomplished partners.—
Ruhama Wolle,
Glamour,
22 Jan. 2025
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Another poll worker called the police chief about what the officer said, Carter said.—
Alexandra Kukulka,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Instead, the All-Star captain powered his team to a gritty 125-119 overtime victory over the 76ers.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
16 Jan. 2025
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The 6-foot-1, 185-pound right winger wanted to work on his puck play, take on a top role on the team as a captain and win an NCAA national championship.—
Jeremy Rutherford,
The Athletic,
16 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Vahe was an English major at the University of Pennsylvania and earned his master’s degree at Mizzou.—
Vahe Gregorian,
Kansas City Star,
19 Jan. 2025
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Camila graduated from Arizona State University with a master’s degree in mass communication.—
Hannah Poukish,
Sacramento Bee,
17 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Mission commander Cai and Song completed multiple tasks before returning to the Wentian module airlock, according to China's human spaceflight agency, including the installation of space debris protection devices and inspecting the exterior of the space station.—
Andrew Jones,
Space.com,
22 Jan. 2025
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The arrests come amid growing public pressure for action against commanders seen as incompetent or careless as desertions rise in the Ukrainian Army.—
Maria Varenikova,
New York Times,
21 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Clay Smith, the operations manager for Moonshine University, says that these changes can be exacerbated by external factors such as temperature swings, humidity, light exposure, introduction of oxygen, and time.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
23 Jan. 2025
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Educate and Empower: Offer training and resources to hiring teams and managers to understand neurodiversity better and create an inclusive environment.—
Jennifer Jay Palumbo,
Forbes,
23 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near headman
Cite this Entry
“Headman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/headman. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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