Meaning & use
the head restraint
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
The padded part at the top of a car seat that supports your head and can help protect your neck in a crash.
Grammar: Countable: adjust the head restraint, both head restraints. Often used with 'the' when talking about a particular seat.
Patterns
- adjust the head restraint
- the head restraint of a seat
- a head restraint in the back seat
Before you drive, move the head restraint so the top is level with the top of your head.
The back-seat head restraints can be folded down when you carry large items.
Safety tests check how well the head restraint protects the neck in a rear crash.
Word forms
| plural | head restraints |
|---|
Common combinations
- adjust the head restraint
- You should adjust the head restraint before a long trip.
- raise/lower the head restraint
- Raise the head restraint if it sits too low behind your head.
- front head restraints
- The front head restraints are electrically adjustable in this model.
- the head restraint protects the neck
- A properly positioned head restraint protects the neck in a rear-end crash.
Synonyms and how they differ
- headrest
- The everyday short form; 'head restraint' sounds more technical and is preferred in safety and legal writing.
Commonly confused: the head restraint or headrest?
the head restraint vs headrest
Same object, but 'headrest' is the usual everyday word, while 'head restraint' is the formal term used in manuals and regulations.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'head restraint' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Head restraint' is a countable noun, so it cannot be used as a verb (A, C) and needs a plural after 'three' (D). Only B uses it correctly as a noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “the head restraint”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.