heads

American

[hedz] / hɛdz /

adjective

(of a coin) with the top, or obverse, facing up.

On the first toss, the coin came up heads.

heads British

/ hɛdz /

interjection

with the obverse side of a coin uppermost, esp if it has a head on it: used as a call before tossing a coin Compare tails
informal people in authority

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of heads

First recorded in 1675–85; head + -s ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The comment from Tobias Adrian, who heads the IMF’s Monetary and Capital Markets Department, comes after months of debate over the risk posed to the global financial system by private-credit issues.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 14, 2026

Reigning Masters champion Rory McIlroy heads into the weekend at 12-under.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

DHS workers have been informed in a memo from department heads that they are slated to receive a check on Friday for back pay up until April 4.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

So I couldn’t meet other producers and get into our heads that we could be movie stars.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

My brother and sister shake their heads, but I still have the taste of vomit in my mouth.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023