Ask Difference

Head vs. Point — What's the Difference?

By Maham Liaqat & Urooj Arif — Updated on May 4, 2024
Head refers to the upper part of a body or an object's front end, while point typically means a sharp end or a precise location.
Head vs. Point — What's the Difference?

Difference Between Head and Point

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Key Differences

In physical contexts, "head" is commonly used to describe the uppermost part of a human body or animal, housing the brain and sensory organs. Whereas, "point" refers to the sharp or tapering end of an object, such as a needle or a sword.
"Head" also metaphorically signifies leadership or prominence, as in the head of a company or the head of a table, implying control or authority. On the other hand, "point" can denote a specific detail or part of a discussion, emphasizing precision or particularity in communication.
In geographical terms, "head" can refer to the source or beginning of a river, often used in names like "Headwaters." Conversely, "point" is used to describe a specific location on a map, or a narrow piece of land extending into a body of water, such as a cape or peninsula.
"Head" is used in phrases like "head north," indicating a direction to move or face. Meanwhile, "point" can describe a particular moment in time or degree in measurements, crucial in contexts like timelines or scales.

Comparison Chart

Definition

Upper part of the body or leadership
Sharp end or specific location
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Usage

Describes body parts, leaders
Describes sharp objects, details

Metaphorical

Signifies control or prominence
Emphasizes precision or particularity

Geographical

Source of a river, head of a valley
Specific spot on a map, narrow landform

Navigational

Direction of movement
Moment in time or degree in measurement

Compare with Definitions

Head

Forward direction.
The ship headed north.

Point

Degree or level in a scale.
Temperatures reached a low point overnight.

Head

Top part of the body containing the brain.
He bumped his head on the door.

Point

Moment in time.
At this point in the presentation, please pay attention.

Head

Front or leading position in a group.
She is the head of her department.

Point

Tapering piece extending from an object.
Be careful with the point of the knife.

Head

Source of a river.
The expedition reached the river's head.

Point

Exact location or position.
We met at the point where the roads intersect.

Head

Principal person in charge.
As head of state, his decisions affect everyone.

Point

Detail or issue in discussion.
She made a good point during the meeting.

Head

The head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste, respectively. Some very simple animals may not have a head, but many bilaterally symmetric forms do, regardless of size.

Point

A sharp or tapered end
The point of a knife.
The point of the antenna.

Head

The upper part of the human body, or the front or upper part of the body of an animal, typically separated from the rest of the body by a neck, and containing the brain, mouth, and sense organs.

Point

An object having a sharp or tapered end
A stone projectile point.

Head

A thing resembling a head either in form or in relation to a whole.

Point

A tapering extension of land projecting into water; a peninsula, cape, or promontory.

Head

The front, forward, or upper part or end of something.

Point

A mark formed by or as if by a sharp end.

Head

A person in charge of something; a director or leader
The head of the Dutch Catholic Church

Point

A mark or dot used in printing or writing for punctuation, especially a period.

Head

A person considered as a numerical unit
They paid fifty pounds a head

Point

A decimal point.

Head

A component in an audio, video, or information system by which information is transferred from an electrical signal to the recording medium, or vice versa.

Point

(Linguistics) A vowel point.

Head

A body of water kept at a particular height in order to provide a supply at sufficient pressure
An 8 m head of water in the shafts

Point

One of the protruding marks used in certain methods of writing and printing for the blind.

Head

A toilet on a ship or boat
They were cleaning out the heads

Point

A dimensionless geometric object having no properties except location.

Head

The word that governs all the other words in a phrase in which it is used, having the same grammatical function as the whole phrase.

Point

An element in a geometrically described set.

Head

A superficial deposit of rock fragments, formed at the edge of an ice sheet by repeated freezing and thawing and then moved downhill.

Point

A place or locality considered with regard to its position
Connections to Chicago and points west.

Head

A group of pheasants
It is easy to get up a head of pheasants with the aid of good keepers

Point

A narrowly particularized and localized position or place; a spot
The troops halted at a point roughly 1,000 yards from the river.

Head

Chief; principal
The head waiter

Point

A specified degree, condition, or limit, as in a scale or course
The melting point of a substance.

Head

Be in the leading position on
The St George's Day procession was headed by the mayor

Point

Any of the 32 equal divisions marked at the circumference of a mariner's compass card that indicate direction.

Head

Give a title or caption to
An article headed ‘The Protection of Human Life’

Point

The interval of 11°15′ between any two adjacent markings.

Head

Move in a specified direction
He was heading for the exit
We were headed in the wrong direction

Point

A distinct condition or degree
Finally reached the point of exhaustion.

Head

Shoot or pass (the ball) with the head
A corner kick that Moody headed into the net

Point

A specific moment in time
At this point, we are ready to proceed.

Head

Lop off the upper part or branches of (a plant or tree)
The willow is headed every three or four years

Point

An objective or purpose to be reached or achieved, or one that is worth reaching or achieving
What is the point of discussing this issue further?.

Head

(of a lettuce or cabbage) form a head.

Point

The major idea or essential part of a concept or narrative
You have missed the whole point of the novel.

Head

The uppermost or forwardmost part of the body of a vertebrate, containing the brain and the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and jaws.

Point

A significant, outstanding, or effective idea, argument, or suggestion
Your point is well taken.

Head

The analogous part of an invertebrate organism.

Point

A separate, distinguishing item or element; a detail
Diplomacy is certainly not one of his strong points. Your weak point is your constant need for approval.

Head

The length or height of such a part
The horse lost by a head. She is two heads taller than he is.

Point

A quality or characteristic that is important or distinctive, especially a standard characteristic used to judge an animal.

Head

The seat of the faculty of reason; intelligence, intellect, or mind
I did the figuring in my head.

Point

A single unit, as in counting, rating, or measuring.

Head

Mental ability or aptitude
She has a good head for mathematics.

Point

A unit of academic credit usually equal to one hour of class work per week during one semester.

Head

Freedom of choice or action
Give the child his head and see how well he solves the problems.

Point

A numerical unit of academic achievement equal to a letter grade.

Head

A habitual drug user. Often used in combination
A dopehead.

Point

Sports & Games A unit of scoring or counting.

Head

An enthusiast. Often used in combination
A chilihead.

Point

A unit equal to one dollar, used to quote or state variations in the current prices of stocks or commodities.

Head

A person considered foolish or contemptible. Often used in combination
A chowderhead.

Point

A unit equal to one percent, used to quote or state interest rates or shares in gross profits.

Head

A portrait or representation of a person's head.

Point

One percent of the total principal of a loan, paid up front to the lender and considered separately from the interest.

Head

Often heads (used with a sing. verb) The side of a coin having the principal design, often the profile of a political leader's head.

Point

(Music) A phrase, such as a fugue subject, in contrapuntal music.

Head

(Informal) A headache
Had a bad head early this morning.

Point

(Printing) A unit of type size equal to 0.01384 inch, or approximately 1/72 of an inch.

Head

An individual; a person
Charged five dollars a head.

Point

A jeweler's unit of weight equal to 2 milligrams or 0.01 carat.

Head

Pl. head A single animal
20 head of cattle.

Point

The act or an instance of pointing.

Head

A person who leads, rules, or is in charge; a leader, chief, or director
The head of the corporation.

Point

The stiff and attentive stance taken by a hunting dog.

Head

A headmaster or headmistress.

Point

A reconnaissance or patrol unit that moves ahead of an advance party or guard, or that follows a rear guard.

Head

The foremost or leading position
Marched at the head of the parade.

Point

The position occupied by such a unit or guard
A team of Rangers were walking point at the outset of the operation.

Head

A headwaiter.

Point

Either of two positions in ice hockey just inside the offensive zone near the boards, usually assumed by defenders attempting to keep the puck in the offensive zone.

Head

The difference in depth of a liquid at two given points.

Point

(Basketball) A position in the forecourt beyond the top of the key, usually taken by the point guard.

Head

The measure of pressure at the lower point expressed in terms of this difference.

Point

In women's lacrosse, a defensive player who marks the opponent playing nearest to the goal (the first home).

Head

The pressure exerted by a liquid or gas
A head of steam.

Point

An electrical contact, especially one in the distributor of an automobile engine.

Head

The liquid or gas exerting the pressure.

Point

Chiefly British An electrical socket or outlet.

Head

The froth or foam that rises to the top in pouring an effervescent liquid, such as beer.

Point

Points The extremities of an animal, such as a cat or horse, especially when they differ in color from the rest of the coat.

Head

The tip of an abscess, boil, or pimple, in which pus forms.

Point

A movable rail, tapered at the end, such as that used in a railroad switch.

Head

A turning point; a crisis
Bring matters to a head.

Point

The vertex of the angle created by the intersection of rails in a frog or switch.

Head

A projection, weight, or fixture at the end of an elongated object
The head of a pin.
A head of land overlooking the harbor.

Point

A ribbon or cord with a metal tag at the end, used to fasten clothing in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Head

The working end of a tool or implement
The head of a hammer.

Point

To direct or aim
Point a weapon.

Head

The looped part at the end a lacrosse stick, to which the webbing is attached.

Point

To bring (something) to notice
Pointed out an error in their reasoning.

Head

The part of an explosive device that carries the explosive; a warhead.

Point

To indicate the position or direction of
Pointed out the oldest buildings on the skyline.

Head

The part of a stringed instrument where the strings are wound; a tuning head.

Point

To sharpen (a pencil, for example); provide with a point.

Head

A tuning machine.

Point

To separate with decimal points
Pointing off the hundredths place in a column of figures.

Head

The rounded proximal end of a long bone
The head of the femur.

Point

To mark (text) with points; punctuate.

Head

The end of a muscle that is attached to the less movable part of the skeleton.

Point

(Linguistics) To mark (a consonant) with a vowel point.

Head

An attachment to or part of a machine that holds or contains the operative device.

Point

To give emphasis to; stress
Comments that simply point up flawed reasoning.

Head

The magnetic head of a tape recorder or VCR.

Point

To indicate the presence and position of (game) by standing immobile and directing the muzzle toward it. Used of a hunting dog.

Head

The device in a magnetic disk or tape drive that enables it to read data from and write data to the disk or tape.

Point

To fill and finish the joints of (masonry) with cement or mortar.

Head

A rounded compact mass, as of leaves or buds
A head of cabbage.

Point

To direct attention or indicate position with or as if with the finger.

Head

(Botany) A flower head.

Point

To turn the mind or thought in a particular direction or to a particular conclusion
All indications point to an early spring.

Head

The uppermost part; the top
Place the appropriate name at the head of each column.

Point

To be turned or faced in a given direction; aim.

Head

The end considered the most important
Sat at the head of the table.

Point

To indicate the presence and position of game. Used of a hunting dog.

Head

Either end of an object, such as a drum, whose two ends are interchangeable.

Point

(Nautical) To sail close to the wind.

Head

The forward part of a vessel.

Point

A discrete division of something.

Head

The top part or upper edge of a sail.

Point

An individual element in a larger whole; a particular detail, thought, or quality.
The Congress debated the finer points of the bill.

Head

A toilet, especially on a ship.

Point

A particular moment in an event or occurrence; a juncture.
There comes a point in a marathon when some people give up.
At this point in the meeting, I'd like to propose a new item for the agenda.

Head

A passage or gallery in a coal mine.

Point

(archaic) Condition, state.
She was not feeling in good point.

Head

The top of a book or page.

Point

A topic of discussion or debate; a proposition.
I made the point that we all had an interest to protect.

Head

A headline or heading.

Point

A focus of conversation or consideration; the main idea.
The point is that we should stay together, whatever happens.

Head

A distinct topic or category
Under the head of recent Spanish history.

Point

A purpose or objective, which makes something meaningful.
Since the decision has already been made, I see little point in further discussion.

Head

Headway; progress.

Point

(obsolete) The smallest quantity of something; a jot, a whit.

Head

(Linguistics) The word determining the grammatical category of a constituent, often establishing relations of concord or agreement (such as subject-verb agreement) with other constituents.

Point

(obsolete) A tiny amount of time; a moment.

Head

Of, relating to, or intended for the head. Often used in combination
Headshaking.
Headwrap.

Point

A specific location or place, seen as a spatial position.
We should meet at a pre-arranged point.

Head

Foremost in rank or importance
The head librarian.

Point

A zero-dimensional mathematical object representing a location in one or more dimensions; something considered to have position but no magnitude or direction. Category:en:Shapes

Head

Placed at the top or the front
The head name on the list.

Point

A full stop or other terminal punctuation mark.

Head

(Slang) Of, relating to, or for drugs or drug users.

Point

(music) A dot or mark used to designate certain tones or time. In ancient music, it distinguished or characterized certain tones or styles (points of perfection, of augmentation, etc.). In modern music, it is placed on the right of a note to raise its value, or prolong its time, by one half.

Head

To be in charge of; lead
The minister headed the committee.

Point

(by extension) A note; a tune.

Head

To be in the first or foremost position of
Collins heads the list of job candidates.

Point

A distinguishing quality or characteristic.
Logic isn't my strong point.

Head

To aim, point, or turn in a certain direction
Headed the team of horses up the hill.

Point

The chief or excellent features.
The points of a horse

Head

To remove the head or top of.

Point

Something tiny, as a pinprick; a very small mark.
The stars showed as tiny points of yellow light.

Head

(Sports) To hit (a soccer ball) in the air with one's head.

Point

(now only in phrases) A tenth; formerly also a twelfth.
Possession is nine points of the law.

Head

To provide with a head
Head each column with a number.
Headed the flagpole with a golden ball.

Point

Each of the marks or strokes written above letters, especially in Semitic languages, to indicate vowels, stress etc.

Head

To proceed or go in a certain direction
Head for town.

Point

A unit of scoring in a game or competition.
The one with the most points will win the game

Head

To form a head, as lettuce or cabbage.

Point

(mathematics) A decimal point (now especially when reading decimal fractions aloud).
10.5 is "ten point five", or ten and a half.

Head

To originate, as a stream or river; rise.

Point

(economics) A unit used to express differences in prices of stocks and shares.

Head

(countable) The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth, and main sense organs.
Be careful when you pet that dog on the head; it may bite.

Point

(typography) a unit of measure equal to 1/12 of a pica, or approximately 1/72 of an inch (exactly 1/72 of an inch in the digital era).

Head

(people) To do with heads.

Point

(UK) An electric power socket.

Head

(animals) To do with heads.

Point

A unit of bearing equal to one thirty-second of a circle, i.e. 11.25°.
Ship ahoy, three points off the starboard bow!

Head

(countable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
What does it say at the head of the page?

Point

(UK) A unit of measure for rain, equal to 0.254 mm or 0.01 of an inch.

Head

The end of a table.

Point

Either of the two metal surfaces in a distributor which close or open to allow or prevent the flow of current through the ignition coil. There is usually a moving point, pushed by the distributor cam, and a fixed point, and they are built together as a unit.

Head

(countable) The principal operative part of a machine or tool.

Point

A sharp extremity.

Head

The foam that forms on top of beer or other carbonated beverages.
Pour me a fresh beer; this one has no head.
He never learned how to pour a glass of beer so it didn't have too much head.

Point

The sharp tip of an object.
Cut the skin with the point of the knife.

Head

(engineering) The end cap of a cylindrically-shaped pressure vessel.

Point

Any projecting extremity of an object.

Head

(coopering) The end cap of a cask or other barrel.

Point

An object which has a sharp or tapering tip.
His cowboy belt was studded with points.

Head

(geology) The uppermost part of a valley.

Point

(backgammon) Each of the twelve triangular positions in either table of a backgammon board, on which the stones are played.

Head

Deposits near the top of a geological succession.

Point

A peninsula or promontory.

Head

(journalism) headline

Point

The position at the front or vanguard of an advancing force.

Head

(medicine) The end of an abscess where pus collects.

Point

Each of the main directions on a compass, usually considered to be 32 in number; a direction.

Head

(music) The headstock of a guitar.

Point

(nautical) The difference between two points of the compass.
To fall off a point

Head

(nautical) A leading component.

Point

Pointedness of speech or writing; a penetrating or decisive quality of expression.

Head

(British) A headland.

Point

A railroad switch.

Head

A leader or expert.

Point

An area of contrasting colour on an animal, especially a dog; a marking.
The point color of that cat was a deep, rich sable.

Head

The place of honour, or of command; the most important or foremost position; the front.

Point

A tine or snag of an antler.

Head

(metonymy) Leader; chief; mastermind.
I'd like to speak to the head of the department.
Police arrested the head of the gang in a raid last night.

Point

(fencing) A movement executed with the sabre or foil.
Tierce point

Head

(metonymy) A headmaster or headmistress.
I was called into the head's office to discuss my behaviour.

Point

(heraldry) One of the several different parts of the escutcheon.

Head

A person with an extensive knowledge of hip hop.
Only true heads know this.

Point

(nautical) A short piece of cordage used in reefing sails.

Head

A significant or important part.

Point

(historical) A string or lace used to tie together certain garments.

Head

A beginning or end, a protuberance.

Point

Lace worked by the needle.
Point de Venise; Brussels point

Head

A component.

Point

An item of private information; a hint; a tip; a pointer.

Head

Headway; progress.
We are having a difficult time making head against this wind.

Point

The attitude assumed by a pointer dog when he finds game.
The dog came to a point.

Head

Topic; subject.
We will consider performance issues under the head of future improvements.

Point

(falconry) The perpendicular rising of a hawk over the place where its prey has gone into cover.

Head

Denouement; crisis.
These isses are going to come to a head today.

Point

The act of pointing, as of the foot downward in certain dance positions.

Head

(fluid dynamics) Pressure and energy.

Point

The gesture of extending the index finger in a direction in order to indicate something.

Head

A buildup of fluid pressure, often quantified as pressure head.
Let the engine build up a good head of steam.
How much head do you have at the Glens Falls feeder dam?

Point

A vaccine point.

Head

The difference in elevation between two points in a column of fluid, and the resulting pressure of the fluid at the lower point.

Point

In various sports, a position of a certain player, or, by extension, the player occupying that position.

Head

More generally, energy in a mass of fluid divided by its weight.

Point

(cricket) A fielding position square of the wicket on the off side, between gully and cover.

Head

(slang) The glans penis.

Point

The position of the player of each side who stands a short distance in front of the goalkeeper.

Head

A heavy or habitual user of illicit drugs.

Point

(baseball) The position of the pitcher and catcher.

Head

(obsolete) Power; armed force.

Point

(hunting) A spot to which a straight run is made; hence, a straight run from point to point; a cross-country run.

Head

Of, relating to, or intended for the head.

Point

(intransitive) To extend the index finger in the direction of something in order to show where it is or to draw attention to it.
It's rude to point at other people.

Head

Foremost in rank or importance.
The head cook

Point

(intransitive) To draw attention to something or indicate a direction.
The arrow of a compass points north
The skis were pointing uphill.
The arrow on the map points towards the entrance

Head

Placed at the top or the front.

Point

(intransitive) To face in a particular direction.

Head

Coming from in front.
Head sea
Head wind

Point

To give a point to; to sharpen; to cut, forge, grind, or file to an acute end.
To point a dart, a pencil, or (figuratively) a moral

Head

(transitive) To be in command of. (See also head up.)
Who heads the board of trustees?
To head an army, an expedition, or a riot

Point

(intransitive) To indicate a probability of something.

Head

(transitive) To come at the beginning or front of; to commence.
A group of clowns headed the procession.
The most important items headed the list.

Point

To repair mortar.

Head

(transitive) To strike with the head; as in soccer, to head the ball

Point

To fill up and finish the joints of (a wall), by introducing additional cement or mortar, and bringing it to a smooth surface.

Head

(intransitive) To move in a specified direction.
We are going to head up North for our holiday.
We will head off tomorrow.
Next holiday we will head out West, or head to Chicago.
Right now I need to head into town to do some shopping.
I'm fed up working for a boss. I'm going to head out on my own, set up my own business.
Where does the train head to?

Point

(stone-cutting) To cut, as a surface, with a pointed tool.

Head

(fishing) To remove the head from a fish.
The salmon are first headed and then scaled.

Point

(transitive) To direct or encourage (someone) in a particular direction.
If he asks for food, point him toward the refrigerator.

Head

(intransitive) To originate; to spring; to have its course, as a river.

Point

To separate an integer from a decimal with a decimal point.

Head

(intransitive) To form a head.
This kind of cabbage heads early.

Point

(transitive) To mark with diacritics.

Head

(transitive) To form a head to; to fit or furnish with a head.
To head a nail

Point

(dated) To supply with punctuation marks; to punctuate.
To point a composition

Head

(transitive) To cut off the top of; to lop off.
To head trees

Point

To direct the central processing unit to seek information at a certain location in memory.

Head

To behead; to decapitate.

Point

To direct requests sent to a domain name to the IP address corresponding to that domain name.

Head

To go in front of.
To head a drove of cattle
To head a person

Point

To sail close to the wind.
Bear off a little, we're pointing.

Head

To get in the front of, so as to hinder or stop; to oppose.
The wind headed the ship and made progress difficult.

Point

To indicate the presence of game by a fixed and steady look, as certain hunting dogs do.

Head

(by extension) To check or restrain.

Point

To approximate to the surface; to head.

Head

To set on the head.
To head a cask

Point

(dated) To give point to (something said or done); to give particular prominence or force to.

Head

The anterior or superior part of an animal, containing the brain, or chief ganglia of the nervous system, the mouth, and in the higher animals, the chief sensory organs; poll; cephalon.

Point

(obsolete) To appoint.

Head

The uppermost, foremost, or most important part of an inanimate object; such a part as may be considered to resemble the head of an animal; often, also, the larger, thicker, or heavier part or extremity, in distinction from the smaller or thinner part, or from the point or edge; as, the head of a cane, a nail, a spear, an ax, a mast, a sail, a ship; that which covers and closes the top or the end of a hollow vessel; as, the head of a cask or a steam boiler.

Point

To appoint.

Head

The place where the head should go; as, the head of a bed, of a grave, etc.; the head of a carriage, that is, the hood which covers the head.

Point

To give a point to; to sharpen; to cut, forge, grind, or file to an acute end; as, to point a dart, or a pencil. Used also figuratively; as, to point a moral.

Head

The most prominent or important member of any organized body; the chief; the leader; as, the head of a college, a school, a church, a state, and the like.
The heads of the chief sects of philosophy.
Your head I him appoint.

Point

Hence, to direct the attention or notice of.
Whosoever should be guided through his battles by Minerva, and pointed to every scene of them.

Head

The place or honor, or of command; the most important or foremost position; the front; as, the head of the table; the head of a column of soldiers.
An army of fourscore thousand troops, with the duke of Marlborough at the head of them.

Point

To supply with punctuation marks; to punctuate; as, to point a composition.

Head

Each one among many; an individual; - often used in a plural sense; as, a thousand head of cattle.
It there be six millions of people, there are about four acres for every head.

Point

To mark (a text, as in Arabic or Hebrew) with vowel points; - also called vocalize.

Head

The seat of the intellect; the brain; the understanding; the mental faculties; as, a good head, that is, a good mind; it never entered his head, it did not occur to him; of his own head, of his own thought or will.
Men who had lost both head and heart.

Point

To give particular prominence to; to designate in a special manner; to indicate, as if by pointing; as, the error was pointed out.
He points it, however, by no deviation from his straightforward manner of speech.

Head

The source, fountain, spring, or beginning, as of a stream or river; as, the head of the Nile; hence, the altitude of the source, or the height of the surface, as of water, above a given place, as above an orifice at which it issues, and the pressure resulting from the height or from motion; sometimes also, the quantity in reserve; as, a mill or reservoir has a good head of water, or ten feet head; also, that part of a gulf or bay most remote from the outlet or the sea.

Point

To indicate or discover by a fixed look, as game.

Head

A headland; a promontory; as, Gay Head.

Point

To fill up and finish the joints of (a wall), by introducing additional cement or mortar, and bringing it to a smooth surface.

Head

A separate part, or topic, of a discourse; a theme to be expanded; a subdivision; as, the heads of a sermon.

Point

To cut, as a surface, with a pointed tool.

Head

Culminating point or crisis; hence, strength; force; height.
Ere foul sin, gathering head, shall break into corruption.
The indisposition which has long hung upon me, is at last grown to such a head, that it must quickly make an end of me or of itself.

Point

To direct the point of something, as of a finger, for the purpose of designating an object, and attracting attention to it; - with at.
Now must the world point at poor Katharine.
Point at the tattered coat and ragged shoe.

Head

Power; armed force.
My lord, my lord, the French have gathered head.

Point

To indicate the presence of game by fixed and steady look, as certain hunting dogs do.
He treads with caution, and he points with fear.

Head

A headdress; a covering of the head; as, a laced head; a head of hair.

Point

To approximate to the surface; to head; - said of an abscess.

Head

An ear of wheat, barley, or of one of the other small cereals.

Point

That which pricks or pierces; the sharp end of anything, esp. the sharp end of a piercing instrument, as a needle or a pin.

Head

A dense cluster of flowers, as in clover, daisies, thistles; a capitulum.

Point

An instrument which pricks or pierces, as a sort of needle used by engravers, etchers, lace workers, and others; also, a pointed cutting tool, as a stone cutter's point; - called also pointer.

Head

The antlers of a deer.

Point

Anything which tapers to a sharp, well-defined termination. Specifically: A small promontory or cape; a tract of land extending into the water beyond the common shore line.

Head

A rounded mass of foam which rises on a pot of beer or other effervescing liquor.

Point

The mark made by the end of a sharp, piercing instrument, as a needle; a prick.

Head

Tiles laid at the eaves of a house.

Point

An indefinitely small space; a mere spot indicated or supposed. Specifically: (Geom.) That which has neither parts nor magnitude; that which has position, but has neither length, breadth, nor thickness, - sometimes conceived of as the limit of a line; that by the motion of which a line is conceived to be produced.

Head

Principal; chief; leading; first; as, the head master of a school; the head man of a tribe; a head chorister; a head cook.

Point

A mark of punctuation; a character used to mark the divisions of a composition, or the pauses to be observed in reading, or to point off groups of figures, etc.; a stop, as a comma, a semicolon, and esp. a period; hence, figuratively, an end, or conclusion.
And there a point, for ended is my tale.
Commas and points they set exactly right.

Head

To be at the head of; to put one's self at the head of; to lead; to direct; to act as leader to; as, to head an army, an expedition, or a riot.

Point

Whatever serves to mark progress, rank, or relative position, or to indicate a transition from one state or position to another, degree; step; stage; hence, position or condition attained; as, a point of elevation, or of depression; the stock fell off five points; he won by tenpoints.
A lord full fat and in good point.

Head

To form a head to; to fit or furnish with a head; as, to head a nail.

Point

That which arrests attention, or indicates qualities or character; a salient feature; a characteristic; a peculiarity; hence, a particular; an item; a detail; as, the good or bad points of a man, a horse, a book, a story, etc.
He told him, point for point, in short and plain.
In point of religion and in point of honor.
Shalt thou disputeWith Him the points of liberty ?

Head

To behead; to decapitate.

Point

Hence, the most prominent or important feature, as of an argument, discourse, etc.; the essential matter; esp., the proposition to be established; as, the point of an anecdote.
They will hardly prove his point.

Head

To cut off the top of; to lop off; as, to head trees.

Point

A small matter; a trifle; a least consideration; a punctilio.
This fellow doth not stand upon points.
[He] cared not for God or man a point.

Head

To go in front of; to get in the front of, so as to hinder or stop; to oppose; hence, to check or restrain; as, to head a drove of cattle; to head a person; the wind heads a ship.

Point

A dot or mark used to designate certain tones or time

Head

To set on the head; as, to head a cask.

Point

A fixed conventional place for reference, or zero of reckoning, in the heavens, usually the intersection of two or more great circles of the sphere, and named specifically in each case according to the position intended; as, the equinoctial points; the solstitial points; the nodal points; vertical points, etc. See Equinoctial Nodal.

Head

To originate; to spring; to have its source, as a river.
A broad river, that heads in the great Blue Ridge.

Point

One of the several different parts of the escutcheon. See Escutcheon.

Head

To go or point in a certain direction; to tend; as, how does the ship head?

Point

One of the points of the compass (see Points of the compass, below); also, the difference between two points of the compass; as, to fall off a point.

Head

To form a head; as, this kind of cabbage heads early.

Point

A a string or lace used to tie together certain parts of the dress.

Head

The upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains;
He stuck his head out the window

Point

Lace wrought the needle; as, point de Venise; Brussels point. See Point lace, below.

Head

A single domestic animal;
200 head of cattle

Point

A switch.

Head

That which is responsible for one's thoughts and feelings; the seat of the faculty of reason;
His mind wandered
I couldn't get his words out of my head

Point

An item of private information; a hint; a tip; a pointer.

Head

A person who is in charge;
The head of the whole operation

Point

A fielder who is stationed on the off side, about twelve or fifteen yards from, and a little in advance of, the batsman.

Head

The front of a military formation or procession;
The head of the column advanced boldly
They were at the head of the attack

Point

The attitude assumed by a pointer dog when he finds game; as, the dog came to a point. See Pointer.

Head

The pressure exerted by a fluid;
A head of steam

Point

A standard unit of measure for the size of type bodies, being one twelfth of the thickness of pica type. See Point system of type, under Type.

Head

The top of something;
The head of the stairs
The head of the page
The head of the list

Point

A tyne or snag of an antler.

Head

The source of water from which a stream arises;
They tracked him back toward the head of the stream

Point

One of the spaces on a backgammon board.

Head

(grammar) the word in a grammatical constituent that plays the same grammatical role as the whole constituent

Point

A movement executed with the saber or foil; as, tierce point.

Head

The tip of an abscess (where the pus accumulates)

Point

A pointed piece of quill or bone covered at one end with vaccine matter; - called also vaccine point.

Head

The length or height based on the size of a human or animal head;
He is two heads taller than his little sister
His horse won by a head

Point

One of the raised dots used in certain systems of printing and writing for the blind. The first practical system was that devised by Louis Braille in 1829, and still used in Europe (see Braille). Two modifications of this are current in the United States: New York point founded on three bases of equidistant points arranged in two lines (viz., : :: :::), and a later improvement, American Braille, embodying the Braille base (:::) and the New-York-point principle of using the characters of few points for the commonest letters.

Head

A dense clusters of flowers or foliage;
A head of cauliflower
A head of lettuce

Point

In various games, a position of a certain player, or, by extension, the player himself;

Head

The educator who has executive authority for a school;
She sent unruly pupils to see the principal

Point

A geometric element that has position but no extension;
A point is defined by its coordinates

Head

An individual person;
Tickets are $5 per head

Point

The precise location of something; a spatially limited location;
She walked to a point where she could survey the whole street

Head

A user of (usually soft) drugs;
The office was full of secret heads

Point

A brief version of the essential meaning of something;
Get to the point
He missed the point of the joke
Life has lost its point

Head

A rounded compact mass;
The head of a comet

Point

A specific identifiable position in a continuum or series or especially in a process;
A remarkable degree of frankness
At what stage are the social sciences?

Head

The foam or froth that accumulates at the top when you pour an effervescent liquid into a container;
The beer had a large head of foam

Point

An isolated fact that is considered separately from the whole;
Several of the details are similar
A point of information

Head

The part in the front or nearest the viewer;
He was in the forefront
He was at the head of the column

Point

An instant of time;
At that point I had to leave

Head

A difficult juncture;
A pretty pass
Matters came to a head yesterday

Point

The object of an activity;
What is the point of discussing it?

Head

Forward movement;
The ship made little headway against the gale

Point

A V shape;
The cannibal's teeth were filed to sharp points

Head

A V-shaped mark at one end of an arrow pointer;
The point of the arrow was due north

Point

A very small circular shape;
A row of points
Draw lines between the dots

Head

The subject matter at issue;
The question of disease merits serious discussion
Under the head of minor Roman poets

Point

The unit of counting in scoring a game or contest;
He scored 20 points in the first half
A touchdown counts 6 points

Head

A line of text serving to indicate what the passage below it is about;
The heading seemed to have little to do with the text

Point

A promontory extending out into a large body of water;
They sailed south around the point

Head

The rounded end of a bone that bits into a rounded cavity in another bone to form a joint;
The head of the humerus

Point

A distinct part that can be specified separately in a group of things that could be enumerated on a list;
He noticed an item in the New York Times
She had several items on her shopping list
The main point on the agenda was taken up first

Head

That part of a skeletal muscle that is away from the bone that it moves

Point

A style in speech or writing that arrests attention and has a penetrating or convincing quality or effect

Head

(computer science) a tiny electromagnetic coil and metal pole used to write and read magnetic patterns on a disk

Point

An outstanding characteristic;
His acting was one of the high points of the movie

Head

(usually plural) an obverse side of a coin that bears the representation of a person's head;
Call heads or tails!

Point

Sharp end;
He stuck the point of the knife into a tree
He broke the point of his pencil

Head

The striking part of a tool;
The head of the hammer

Point

Any of 32 horizontal directions indicated on the card of a compass;
He checked the point on his compass

Head

(nautical) a toilet on board a boat or ship

Point

A linear unit used to measure the size of type; approximately 1/72 inch

Head

A projection out from one end;
The head of the nail
A pinhead is the head of a pin

Point

A punctuation mark (.) placed at the end of a declarative sentence to indicate a full stop or after abbreviations;
In England they call a period a stop

Head

A membrane that is stretched taut over a drum

Point

A V-shaped mark at one end of an arrow pointer;
The point of the arrow was due north

Head

Oral-genital stimulation;
They say he gives good head

Point

The property of a shape that tapers to a sharp point

Head

To go or travel towards;
Where is she heading
We were headed for the mountains

Point

A distinguishing or individuating characteristic;
He knows my bad points as well as my good points

Head

Be in charge of;
Who is heading this project?

Point

A wall socket

Head

Travel in front of; go in advance of others;
The procession was headed by John

Point

A contact in the distributor; as the rotor turns its projecting arm contacts distributor points and current flows to the spark plugs

Head

Be the first or leading member of (a group) and excel;
This student heads the class

Point

Indicate a place, direction, person, or thing; either spatially or figuratively;
I showed the customer the glove section
He pointed to the empty parking space
He indicated his opponents

Head

Direct the course; determine the direction of travelling

Point

Be oriented;
The weather vane points North

Head

Take its rise;
These rivers head from a mountain range in the Himalayas

Point

Direct the course; determine the direction of travelling

Head

Be in the front of or on top of;
The list was headed by the name of the president

Point

Be a signal for or a symptom of;
These symptoms indicate a serious illness
Her behavior points to a severe neurosis
The economic indicators signal that the euro is undervalued

Head

Form a head or come or grow to a head;
The wheat headed early this year

Point

Sail close to the wind

Head

Remove the head of;
Head the fish

Point

Mark (Hebrew words) with diacritics

Point

Mark with diacritics;
Point the letter

Point

Mark (a psalm text) to indicate the points at which the music changes

Point

Intend (something) to move towards a certain goal;
He aimed his fists towards his opponent's face
Criticism directed at her superior
Direct your anger towards others, not towards yourself

Point

Give a point to;
The candles are tapered

Point

Repair the joints of bricks;
Point a chimney

Common Curiosities

What is the common usage of "head" in navigation?

It's used to indicate direction, such as "head south."

What differentiates a head from a point in a geographical context?

"Head" often refers to sources or beginnings, while "point" denotes precise locations.

How does "head" function as a metaphor?

It often symbolizes leadership, control, or prominence.

Is "point" used in mathematics?

Yes, it denotes a specific position within a space, often used in geometry.

How is "point" utilized in sports?

It refers to scoring in games or precise execution of plays.

Can "point" mean something other than a sharp end?

Yes, it also refers to a specific detail in discussions or a particular spot on a map.

What does "point" indicate in discussions?

It refers to a specific argument or detail being considered.

Do "head" and "point" share any common meanings?

While both can imply a leading or foremost part, their contexts differ greatly.

Is "head" used in any idiomatic expressions?

Yes, such as "heads up," which means to pay attention or be alert.

How does "head" relate to authority?

It's frequently used to designate the leader or chief of a group.

What role does "point" play in navigation?

It's used to describe specific degrees or measurements crucial for precision.

How does the use of "head" in leadership differ from its general physical description?

While physically it describes the top part of a body, in leadership, it symbolizes authority and control.

What kind of physical descriptions can "head" apply to aside from the human body?

It can describe the front part or top of any object or entity.

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Author Spotlight

Written by
Maham Liaqat
Co-written by
Urooj Arif
Urooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.

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