What does "header" mean?
The upper portion of a page (or other) layout.
Header
/ˈhɛdɚ/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The upper portion of a page (or other) layout.
- Grammar: header is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: heading, banners, belly buster, belly flop.
- Useful contrasts: general text, body component, cell value.
- Usage evidence: Tom took a header down the stairs.
How to use "header"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "header" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "header" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "header" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "header" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "header" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "heading" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "header", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The upper portion of a page (or other) layout.
"If you reduce the header of this document, the body will fit onto a single page."
- 2 a headlong jump (or fall) wordnet
- 3 Text, or other visual information, used to mark off a quantity of text, often titling or summarizing it.
"Your header is too long; "Local Cannibals" will suffice."
- 4 (soccer) the act of hitting the ball with your head wordnet
- 5 Text, or other visual information, that goes at the top of a column of information in a table.
"That column should have the header "payment status"."
Show 20 more definitions
- 6 a machine that cuts the heads off grain and moves them into a wagon wordnet
- 7 A font, text style, or typesetting used for any of the above. informal
"Parts of speech belong in a level-three header. Level-two headers are reserved for the name of the language."
- 8 a framing member crossing and supporting the ends of joists, studs, or rafters so as to transfer their weight to parallel joists, studs, or rafters wordnet
- 9 The first part of a file or record that describes its contents.
"The header includes an index, an identifier, and a pointer to the next entry."
- 10 brick that is laid sideways at the top of a wall wordnet
- 11 Clipping of header file. abbreviation, alt-of, clipping
- 12 horizontal beam used as a finishing piece over a door or window wordnet
- 13 the first part of a packet or stream, often containing its address and descriptors.
"The encapsulation layer adds an eight-byte header and a two-byte trailer to each packet."
- 14 a line of text serving to indicate what the passage below it is about wordnet
- 15 A brick that is laid sideways (on its largest face), for example at the top of a wall or within the brickwork, with its smallest side showing (oriented so that that side is wider than it is tall).
"This wall has four header courses."
- 16 A horizontal structural or finish piece over an opening.
- 17 A machine that separates and gathers the heads of grain etc.
"They fed the bale into the header."
- 18 The act of hitting the ball with the head.
"His header for the goal followed a perfect corner kick."
- 19 Someone who heads the ball.
- 20 A headlong fall, jump or dive.
"The clown tripped over the other clown and took a header."
- 21 A raised tank that supplies water at constant pressure, especially to a central heating and hot water system; a header tank.
- 22 A pipe which connects several smaller pipes.
"Common practice is to use plastic pipes with iron headers."
- 23 The rodeo performer who drives the steer toward the heeler to be tied.
- 24 One who puts a head on something.
- 25 A headcase; a nutjob (mentally unbalanced, unpredictable person). Ireland, derogatory
Verb
- 1 To strike (a ball) with one's head. transitive
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Tom took a header down the stairs."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "header"?
Common synonyms include: heading, banners, belly buster, belly flop, belly whopper, cannonball.
How do you use "header" in a sentence?
Tom took a header down the stairs.
How do you pronounce "header"?
Pronounced /ˈhɛdɚ/.
Etymology
From head + -er.