Meaning & use
headmistress
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Meaning
nouncountableold-fashioned
A woman who is in charge of a school, especially a private school or a school for girls.
Grammar: Countable: use 'a headmistress' or 'the headmistress'; the plural is 'headmistresses'.
Patterns
- the headmistress of a school
- a headmistress at a school
The headmistress greeted the new students at the school gate.
She was appointed headmistress of a well-known girls' school.
The headmistress announced that the school would close early for the holidays.
Word forms
| plural | headmistresses |
|---|
Common combinations
- school headmistress
- The school headmistress gave a speech at the prize-giving ceremony.
- appoint someone headmistress
- They appointed her headmistress after a long search.
- the headmistress's office
- The boy was sent to the headmistress's office for misbehaving.
- a strict headmistress
- The strict headmistress insisted on perfect uniforms.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- headmaster noun
- A man who is in charge of a school, especially a private school.
- headship noun
- The position or role of being a head teacher.
Commonly confused: headmistress or headmaster? headmistress or principal?
headmistress vs headmaster
Headmaster is used for a man; headmistress is used for a woman.
headmistress vs principal
Principal is the usual American term for a school leader, while headmistress is British and female-specific.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'headmistress' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A headmistress leads a school, so welcoming pupils fits. The other options describe mechanical, botanical, or aviation contexts, which do not match the meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “headmistress”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.