Heading is a word or phrase that introduces what comes next, like a title at the top of a chapter or section. When you write a report about volcanoes, you might use headings like “How Volcanoes Form” and “Famous Volcanic Eruptions” to organize your ideas and help readers find what they need.

In books, newspapers, and websites, headings work like signs on a highway: they tell you what's ahead so you can decide where to go. A textbook might have big headings for each chapter and smaller subheadings for sections within chapters. Good headings are clear and specific, not vague like “Stuff” or “Information.”

The word also means the direction you're traveling. A ship's captain sets a heading of north or southeast, and pilots talk about their heading when flying. If you're heading somewhere, you're going in that direction: “We're heading to the library after lunch.”

In soccer, heading means hitting the ball with your head, a skill that takes practice and good timing. Players leap up and use their foreheads to redirect the ball toward the goal or to a teammate.