Meaning & use
head-turner
Last updated
UK/ˈhed ˌtɜːnə/
US/ˈhed ˌtɜːrnər/
Meaning
nouncountableinformalapproving
A person or thing that looks so striking or attractive that people stop and look at it.
Grammar: Takes an or an: she's a real head-turner.
Patterns
- be a head-turner
- a real head-turner
Her red dress was a real head-turner at the party.
The sleek sports car is a head-turner on any street.
He was a head-turner even in a plain T-shirt.
Word forms
| plural | head-turners |
|---|
Common combinations
- a real head-turner
- The new bridge is a real head-turner.
- a total head-turner
- That vintage jacket is a total head-turner.
- be a head-turner
- She was a head-turner when she entered the room.
- the ultimate head-turner
- The new model is the ultimate head-turner.
- become a head-turner
- The old truck became a head-turner after the repaint.
Synonyms and how they differ
- showstopper
- Showstopper is stronger and suggests something so impressive that everything pauses, often in performance.
- stunner
- Stunner is very similar but is more often used about a person's beauty.
- eye-catcher
- Eye-catcher is a neutral word for anything noticeable, while head-turner implies admiration.
Opposites
Word family
- head-turning adjective
- so attractive that people look
- turn heads verb
- to attract admiring attention
- head noun
- the top part of the body
Commonly confused: head-turner or eyesore?
head-turner vs eyesore
An eyesore is something ugly that people dislike looking at, the opposite of a head-turner.
Practice
Which sentence correctly describes a head-turner?
Choose one answer.
A head-turner attracts admiring attention. The other options describe annoying or confusing things.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “head-turner”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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