headmaster

noun

head·​mas·​ter ˈhed-ˌma-stər How to pronounce headmaster (audio)
-ˈma-
: a man heading the staff of a private school : principal
headmasterly adjective
headmastership noun

Examples of headmaster in a Sentence

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.
That first picture, for instance, is a satisfyingly arch self-portrait, capturing one of the headmasters from the boarding school Shore attended taking a group photo of a soccer team, and showing Shore’s shadow creeping up the edge of the man’s coat from behind. Chris Wiley, New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2025 Murphy’s family background — his parents were teachers, his grandfather a headmaster, most of his aunts and uncles educators — gave him a natural connection to the role. Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025 The movie, written and directed by Roger Kumble, follows Annette Hargrove (Witherspoon), the daughter of the new headmaster at a private high school in New York City. Meredith Wilshere, PEOPLE, 6 Sep. 2025 Where Shy was the subject of Porter’s slender book — which is really more of a beat-poetry day-in-the-life monologue — the focus shifts here to the weary headmaster who’s been fighting on the students’ behalf all these years. Peter Debruge, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for headmaster

Word History

First Known Use

1576, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of headmaster was in 1576

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Cite this Entry

“Headmaster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/headmaster. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

headmaster

noun
head·​mas·​ter -ˌmas-tər How to pronounce headmaster (audio)
-ˈmas-
: a male head of a private school

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