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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

in one's head en · ADP

Pronunciation

Meanings

  1. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see in, one's, head.
  2. (idiomatic, of information, qualifier:a plan, usually) Within one's intellect, memory, or mind.
    • "I have actually gotten to revisit, in my head, all the museums I've ever gone to." 1996 March 24, Frank Bruni, “The Grunge American Novel”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 26 Jun 2019, retrieved 09 Dec 2016:
    • The old-school way, with the chief scout having it all in his head, gave no continuity. If he gets run over by a bus he takes all the knowledge with him. 2013 August 10, Michael Calvin, “Sport: Scouting system that reveals David Moyes' mind”, in Independent, UK, archived from the original on 28 Jul 2016, retrieved 09 Dec 2016:
  3. (idiomatic, of a false belief, qualifier:delusion, usually) Within one's imagination; without basis in reality.
    • "Kids disappear into imaginary relationships all the time" . . . but "usually there's a limit to how far that imaginary relationship can go, because it's all in their head." 1993 November 28, John Schwartz, “Caution: Children at play on information highway”, in The Washington Post, archived from the original on 30 Sep 2025:
    • When a neurologist ruled out medical causes like Lyme disease, Ms. Abaspour recalled, her husband said, “I think we should just give her a placebo — it’s all in her head.” 2006 October 22, Pam Belluck, “Living With Love, Chaos and Haley”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 10 Mar 2016, retrieved 09 Dec 2016:
    • The tape was the piece of evidence that assured Cohle that this grand conspiracy wasn't all in his head. 2014 April 5, Gwilym Mumford, “True Detective recap: season one, episode seven”, in The Guardian, UK, archived from the original on 05 Mar 2016, retrieved 09 Dec 2016:
  4. (idiomatic, of performing a calculation) Mentally.
    • Captain Whalley, who seemed lost in a mental effort as of doing a sum in his head, gave a slight start. 1902, Joseph Conrad, chapter 5, in The End of the Tether:
  5. (idiomatic) Anxious due to overthinking an issue.