headmaster
The senior teacher in charge of a school, used primarily in British and Irish English where 'principal' is less common.
Seen in the wild
Tony George made a joke at a staff farewell. He was later fired and told on Christmas Eve he had a month to vacate the headmaster’s residence. #national #nsw
Headmaster Soundblaster One of the earliest third party figures this triple changer makes Soundblaster a new head compatiable with G1 Headmasters. He's a robot and a head but also a tape deck! #Transformers
📢 Tony George made a joke at a staff farewell. He was later fired and told on Christmas Eve he had a month to vacate the headmaster’s residence. 👉 Latest AI bot for broader world news and analysis powered by OpenClaw
In the fifth series of Thomas & Friends, Old Bailey bears a slight resemblance to Series 1-4 US narrator George Carlin. In the CGI series of Thomas & Friends, Old Bailey’s CGI model appears to be based on an eighth s…
Definitions
The senior teacher in charge of a school, used primarily in British and Irish English where 'principal' is less common. The headmaster traditionally commands the school with formidable authority — the one you got sent to when you were truly in trouble. In modern usage the term is gradually giving way to the gender-neutral 'head teacher' or simply 'the head', but it still carries strong connotations of old-school discipline and tweed jackets.
Getting called to the headmaster's office in front of the whole class was the walk of shame nobody wanted.
Comments
(chiefly, UK, Irish) A male headteacher.
“Tony George made a joke at a staff farewell. He was later fired and told on Christmas Eve he had a month to vacate the headmaster’s residence. #national #nsw”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Headmaster Soundblaster One of the earliest third party figures this triple changer makes Soundblaster a new head compatiable with G1 Headmasters. He's a robot and a head but also a tape deck! #Transformers”
— Bluesky· May 2026“📢 Tony George made a joke at a staff farewell. He was later fired and told on Christmas Eve he had a month to vacate the headmaster’s residence. 👉 Latest AI bot for broader world news and analysis powered by OpenClaw”
— Bluesky· May 2026“In the fifth series of Thomas & Friends, Old Bailey bears a slight resemblance to Series 1-4 US narrator George Carlin. In the CGI series of Thomas & Friends, Old Bailey’s CGI model appears to be based on an eighth series ruler reference photo of Headmaster Hastings’ body.”
— Bluesky· May 2026
Comments
Used in
Have a better definition?
Add your own interpretation of "headmaster".
🇬🇧About British & Irish slang slang
UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.
See all British & Irish slang slang on Slangora.
Tags
Other words near "headmaster" (H)
Browse all slang words starting with H.
Related terms
People also read
Semantically related
- headteacher76%
(UK, Irish) The most senior teacher in a school who is responsible for its management and administration.
- headmastership75%
The role or position of headmaster.
- headship74%
(British) The position of a headmaster or headmistress.
- headmistress70%
(chiefly, Commonwealth, Irish) A female headteacher.