headland

headland — noun

1. A high, narrow area of rocky land that pushes out from the shore into deeper wat

1.nounB2
Definition

A high, narrow area of rocky land that pushes out from the shore into deeper water, forming a natural landmark along the coastline.

Example

Nellie spotted a pod of dolphins from the headland just before sunset.

collocation: from the headland

The headland protects the small fishing village from the strongest winter storms.

headland as subject + protects from

Synonyms
  • promontory

    more formal and literary; often used for very high or dramatic headlands

  • cape

    typically refers to a large, prominent headland that marks a significant change in coastline direction

  • point

    describes a narrow, tapering headland that extends furthest into the water

Usage Note

Common in travel writing, geography, and coastal descriptions. Many headlands have names ending in 'Head', 'Point', or 'Ness' (e.g. Beachy Head, Land's End).

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe land projecting into water, but they differ in size and specificity. A headland is a general term for any narrow, elevated ridge of land that juts into the sea. Promontory is a more formal alternative, often used for dramatic, cliff-edged formations in literary or historical writing. Cape refers to a large, prominent headland that marks a major change in coastline direction — the Cape of Good Hope is a classic example. Point describes a narrow, tapering projection, often the outermost tip of a larger headland. Peninsula is the largest of the group: a body of land nearly surrounded by water but still connected to the mainland by a wide strip. A headland might be a few hundred metres long; a peninsula can stretch for kilometres.

promontorycape ↗pointpeninsula ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • at the headland
  • on the headland
  • from the headland
  • around the headland

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Headland is a compound of the Old English words 'heafod' (head) and 'land' (land). The 'head' part refers to the idea of something at the front or projecting outward — like the head of a body — so a headland is literally the 'head of the land' pointing into the sea.