What does headshot mean?
A headshot is a close-up photograph of a person's head and face, usually presented against a simple background and used for professional identification, publicity, casting, or an online profile. Unlike a general portrait, its framing is specifically tight and centered on the head. The word can also denote a tightly framed image in film or photography and, less commonly, a shot or hit directed at the head. As a verb, particularly in gaming, it means to hit a target in the head. In everyday professional contexts, headshot is neutral and familiar, and people commonly take, obtain, or submit one. In descriptions of violence, however, the term can be blunt and graphic, making context important to its tone. British and American speakers use the same spelling but differ in the usual pronunciation of the final vowel. Overall, headshot is a concise word for a recognizable, face-forward photograph and for the precise act of striking or targeting the head.
A close-up photograph of a person's head and face, especially one used professionally; by extension, a tightly framed image or a shot that strikes the head.
"The magazine commissioned a studio headshot for the cover feature."
The photographic sense is dominant in professional and everyday use. Other senses are more specialized or context-dependent.
To shoot or hit a target in the head, especially in video-game terminology.
"The player headshotted the last opponent in the round."
Common in informal gaming language and in descriptions of shooting.
The regular plural is used for multiple photographs or separate instances of the action.
"The agency requested three professional headshots from its client."
A headshot can land in a portfolio before the person behind it says a word.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does headshot come from?
Headshot is an English compound formed from the words head and shot. Its photographic sense developed in the early twentieth century alongside new practices of publicity photography and film close-ups, while its shooting sense builds on the established expression a shot to the head. Both elements are inherited English words: head continues Old English hēafod, while shot derives from Old English sceot, originally meaning a missile or projectile; later compounds such as snapshot and hotshot preserve the same second element.
How headshot is actually used
In professional contexts, headshot is usually neutral and familiar. It is also informal or specialized when referring to a hit in a video game; descriptions of a lethal head shot can be direct and graphic. British and American usage agree in spelling, while the final vowel varies with the normal British and US pronunciation of shot.
Easily confused with headshot
A snapshot is any quick or informal photograph, whereas a headshot is specifically a close-up image emphasizing a person's face.
A mugshot is an identification photograph associated with a police record, while a headshot is usually a voluntary professional or publicity photograph.