1
: a prefixed note of comment or explanation
2
: a note prefixed to the report of a decided legal case
Examples of headnote in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Editor's Note: This recipe was developed by Nicole Hopper; the headnote was written by Alana Al-Hatlani.
—
Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 3 Apr. 2025
The court’s decision turned, in part, on whether the headnotes constitute original works protected by intellectual property law.
—Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Editor's Note: This recipe was developed by Giovanna Vazquez; the headnote was written by Kimberly Holland.
—Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 20 Mar. 2025
Editor's Note: This recipe was developed by Renu Dhar; the headnote was written by Kimberly Holland.
—Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 10 Mar. 2025
Instead, the headnotes were used to boost how the AI decided which words from judicial opinions to produce in response to search questions.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 18 Feb. 2025
In Tuesday’s ruling, Bibas found that Ross may have infringed on more than 2,200 headnotes.
—Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Content includes headnotes that summarize key points of law and case holdings, which are copyrighted.
—Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
True to their real-life relationship, their cookbook is filled with quippy stories with recipe headnotes in a dialogue format.
—Antonia Debianchi, Peoplemag, 17 Sep. 2024
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Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 3 Apr. 2025
The court’s decision turned, in part, on whether the headnotes constitute original works protected by intellectual property law.
—Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Editor's Note: This recipe was developed by Giovanna Vazquez; the headnote was written by Kimberly Holland.
—Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 20 Mar. 2025
Editor's Note: This recipe was developed by Renu Dhar; the headnote was written by Kimberly Holland.
—Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 10 Mar. 2025
Instead, the headnotes were used to boost how the AI decided which words from judicial opinions to produce in response to search questions.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 18 Feb. 2025
In Tuesday’s ruling, Bibas found that Ross may have infringed on more than 2,200 headnotes.
—Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Content includes headnotes that summarize key points of law and case holdings, which are copyrighted.
—Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
True to their real-life relationship, their cookbook is filled with quippy stories with recipe headnotes in a dialogue format.
—Antonia Debianchi, Peoplemag, 17 Sep. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Headnote.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/headnote. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
headnote
noun
head·note
ˈhed-ˌnōt 
: a summary prefixed to the report of a decided legal case stating the principles or rulings of the decision and usually the main facts of the case
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