Masthead
noun, verb ·2 syllables ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 The top of a mast.
"In most American whalemen the mast-heads are manned almost simultaneously with the vessel’s leaving her port; even though she may have fifteen thousand miles, and more, to sail ere reaching her proper cruising ground."
- 2 the head or top of a mast wordnet
- 3 A list of a newspaper or other periodical's main staff, contributing writers, publisher, circulation, advertising rates etc. US
- 4 the title of a newspaper or magazine; usually printed on the front page and on the editorial page wordnet
- 5 The title (normally in a large and distinctive font) of a newspaper or other periodical at the top of the front page; (by extension) the publication itself or the rights to it. Australia, UK
"Maree said she felt worse after articles were written about the video, including by this masthead."
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- 6 a listing printed in all issues of a newspaper or magazine (usually on the editorial page) that gives the name of the publication and the names of the editorial staff, etc. wordnet
- 7 The logo of a broadcaster used in an ident. broadly
- 1 To send to the masthead as a punishment. transitive
"“I was mast-headed, sir.” “Mast-headed! how - for what?”"
- 2 To furnish (a newspaper) with a masthead. transitive
"It was mastheaded as "Palatka's Only Independent Home-Owned Newspaper.""
Example
More examples"On the eighteenth day out from Sydney, we were cruising under the lee of Erromango—of course you know Erromango, an isolated island between the New Hebrides and the Loyalty group—when suddenly our dusky Polynesian boy, Nassaline, who was at the masthead on the lookout, gave a surprised cry of "Boat ahoy!" and pointed with his skinny black finger to a dark dot away southward on the horizon, in the direction of Fiji."
Etymology
From mast + head.
Related phrases
More for "masthead"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.