ALL meanings of come to a head
come to a head
C c - noun come to a head to be about to discharge pus 3
- noun come to a head to culminate, or reach a crisis 3
- noun come to a head the upper part of the body in humans, joined to the trunk by the neck, containing the brain, eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. 1
- noun come to a head the corresponding part of the body in other animals. 1
- noun come to a head the head considered as the center of the intellect, as of thought, memory, understanding, or emotional control; mind; brain: She has a good head for mathematics. Keep a cool head in an emergency. 1
- noun come to a head the position or place of leadership, greatest authority, or honor. 1
- noun come to a head a person to whom others are subordinate, as the director of an institution or the manager of a department; leader or chief. 1
- noun come to a head a person considered with reference to his or her mind, disposition, attributes, status, etc.: wise heads; crowned heads. 1
- noun come to a head that part of anything that forms or is regarded as forming the top, summit, or upper end: head of a pin; head of a page. 1
- noun come to a head the foremost part or front end of anything or a forward projecting part: head of a procession. 1
- noun come to a head the part of a weapon, tool, etc., used for striking: the head of a hammer. 1
- noun come to a head a person or animal considered merely as one of a number, herd, or group: ten head of cattle; a dinner at $20 a head. 1
- noun come to a head a culminating point, usually of a critical nature; crisis or climax: to bring matters to a head. 1
- noun come to a head the hair covering the head: to wash one's head. 1
- noun come to a head froth or foam at the top of a liquid: the head on beer. 1
- noun come to a head Botany. any dense flower cluster or inflorescence. any other compact part of a plant, usually at the top of the stem, as that composed of leaves in the cabbage or lettuce, of leafstalks in the celery, or of flower buds in the cauliflower. 1
- noun come to a head the maturated part of an abscess, boil, etc. 1
- noun come to a head a projecting point of a coast, especially when high, as a cape, headland, or promontory. 1
- noun come to a head the obverse of a coin, as bearing a head or other principal figure (opposed to tail). 1
- noun come to a head one of the chief parts or points of a written or oral discourse; a main division of a subject, theme, or topic. 1
- noun come to a head something resembling a head in form or a representation of a head, as a piece of sculpture. 1
- noun come to a head the source of a river or stream. 1
- noun come to a head Slang. a habitual user of a drug, especially LSD or marijuana (often used in combination): feds versus the heads; an acid-head; a pothead. a fan or devotee (usually used in combination): a punk-rock head; a chili head. 1
- noun come to a head heads, Distilling. alcohol produced during the initial fermentation. Compare tail1 (def 6d). 1
- noun come to a head headline. 1
- noun come to a head a toilet or lavatory, especially on a boat or ship. 1
- noun come to a head Nautical. the forepart of a vessel; bow. the upper edge of a quadrilateral sail. the upper corner of a jib-headed sail. that part of the upper end of one spar of a mast that is overlapped by a spar above; a doubling at the upper end of a spar. that part of the upper end of a mast between the highest standing rigging and the truck. crown (def 29). 1
- noun come to a head Grammar. the member of an endocentric construction that belongs to the same form class and may play the same grammatical role as the construction itself. the member upon which another depends and to which it is subordinate. In former presidents, presidents is head and former is modifier. 1
- noun come to a head the stretched membrane covering the end of a drum or similar musical instrument. 1
- noun come to a head Mining. a level or road driven into solid coal for proving or working a mine. 1
- noun come to a head Machinery. any of various devices on machine tools for holding, moving, indexing, or changing tools or work, as the headstock or turret of a lathe. 1
- noun come to a head Railroads. railhead (def 3). 1
- noun come to a head (loosely) the pressure exerted by confined fluid: a head of steam. 1
- noun come to a head Also called pressure head. Hydraulics. the vertical distance between two points in a liquid, as water, or some other fluid. the pressure differential resulting from this separation, expressed in terms of the vertical distance between the points. the pressure of a fluid expressed in terms of the height of a column of liquid yielding an equivalent pressure. 1
- noun come to a head Also called magnetic head. Electronics. the part or parts of a tape recorder that record, play back, or erase magnetic signals on magnetic tape. Compare erasing head, playback head, recording head. 1
- noun come to a head Computers. read/write head. 1
- noun come to a head Photography. a mounting for a camera, as on a tripod. the part of an enlarger that contains the light source, negative carrier, lensboard, and lens. 1
- noun come to a head Slang: Vulgar. fellatio or cunnilingus. 1
- noun come to a head Archaic. power, strength, or force progressively gathered or gradually attained. 1
- noun come to a head heads up! Informal. be careful! watch out for danger! 1
- adjective come to a head first in rank or position; chief; leading; principal: a head official. 1
- adjective come to a head of, relating to, or for the head (often used in combination): head covering; headgear; headpiece. 1
- adjective come to a head situated at the top, front, or head of anything (often used in combination): headline; headboard. 1
- adjective come to a head moving or coming from a direction in front of the head or prow of a vessel: head sea; head tide; head current. 1
- adjective come to a head Slang. of or relating to drugs, drug paraphernalia, or drug users. 1
- verb with object come to a head to go at the head of or in front of; lead; precede: to head a list. 1
- verb with object come to a head to outdo or excel; take the lead in or over: to head a race; to head one's competitors in a field. 1
- verb with object come to a head to be the head or chief of (sometimes followed by up): to head a school; to head up a department. 1
- verb with object come to a head to direct the course of; turn the head or front of in a specified direction: I'll head the boat for the shore. Head me in the right direction and I'll walk to the store. 1
- verb with object come to a head to go around the head of (a stream). 1