headdress

noun

head·​dress ˈhed-ˌdres How to pronounce headdress (audio)
Synonyms of headdressnext
: an often elaborate covering for the head

Illustration of headdress

Illustration of headdress

Synonyms of headdress

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of headdress in a Sentence

The dancers wore ceremonial headdresses. most of the acrobats riding the horses and elephants wore some sort of fancy headdress
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
When there is a goal, people will cheer and wave flags or even their headdress. — Jay Harris, New York Times, 2 June 2026 Diana wore the pieces prolifically during her life, and even notably had the necklace refashioned into a headdress. — Freya Drohan, InStyle, 26 June 2026 Ballroom culture infuses all aspects of the show, including a parade of costumes, ranging from contemporary neon getups to sumptuous evening gowns and glittering headdresses. — Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 11 May 2026 Her male counterparts were also well represented, with pharaohs donning headdresses of various eras, their outfits playing on the contrast between polished, hammered, engraved and even beaded golds. — Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 9 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for headdress

Word History

First Known Use

1645, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of headdress was in 1645

Rhymes for headdress

See All Rhymes for headdress

Browse Nearby Words

head ditch
headdress
head dropper
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Headdress.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/headdress. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

headdress

noun
head·​dress ˈhed-ˌdres How to pronounce headdress (audio)
: a covering or ornament for the head

More from Merriam-Webster on headdress

Nglish: Translation of headdress for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about headdress

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All