1. A line of text serving to indicate what the passage below it is about
   "the header seemed to have little to do with the text";
   - heading, head
    
2. Horizontal beam used as a finishing piece over a door or window
   "The ancient stone header bore inscriptions from centuries past";
   - lintel
    
3. A framing member crossing and supporting the ends of joists, studs, or rafters so as to transfer their weight to parallel joists, studs, or rafters
   "The carpenter installed a sturdy header above the new window opening"
    
4. Brick that is laid sideways at the top of a wall
   "The mason carefully placed the header stones along the garden wall";
   - coping, cope
    
5. A machine that cuts the heads off grain and moves them into a wagon
   "The header efficiently harvested the wheat field"
    
6. (soccer) the act of hitting the ball with your head
   "The striker's powerful header found the back of the net"
    
7. A headlong jump (or fall)
   "he took a header into the shrubbery"
    
8. (computing) information at the beginning of a data file or message
   "The email header contains routing information"
    
9. (plumbing) a pipe that collects or distributes water or other fluid to multiple branches
   "The main header supplies water to all bathroom fixtures"; "Hot water from each zone returns to the heating header"

Derived forms: headers

Type of: beam, brick, harvester, hit, hitting, jump, jumping, line, reaper, striking

Part of: wall

Encyclopedia: Header