A headland is a high point of land that juts out into a body of water, like a finger poking into the ocean or a large lake. Imagine standing on a rocky cliff that extends far out into the sea, with water on three sides of you and waves crashing below. That's a headland.

Headlands form over thousands of years as waves and weather wear away softer rock, leaving behind the harder rock that becomes the jutting point. They're dramatic landmarks for sailors, who use them for navigation, and they often mark dangerous waters where currents swirl around the point. Famous headlands include Cape Cod in Massachusetts and Land's End in England.

The word can also refer to the unplowed strip of land at the end of a field where farmers turn their plows around, though this meaning is less common today. When you see the word in adventure stories or historical fiction, it usually means that dramatic cliff or point of land extending into the water.