headhunter
nounUS /ˈhɛdˌhʌntɚ/
Etymology From head + hunter.
1
Anthropology, Human sciences, Sciences A person who practises headhunting, the taking and preserving of a person's head after killing them.
- We were accommodated here in the verandah of the large house, in which were several great baskets of dried human heads, the trophies of past generations of head-hunters.1869, Alfred Russel Wallace, The Malay Archipelago, volume I, London: Macmillan and Co., page 84:
- Theirs was the spirit which upheld Darwin among the gauchos of the Argentine or Wallace among the head-hunters of Malaya.1912, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Lost World […], London; New York, N.Y.: Hodder and Stoughton, →OCLC:
2
Business One who recruits skilled personnel, especially executive-level ones, for a company.
- Near-synonyms: recruiter, talent scout
- A headhunter called me out of the blue with an offer I couldn't refuse.
3
Ball games, Baseball, Games, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports A pitcher who throws at the batter's head.
- Thankfully, there aren't many headhunters in the modern game.
4
Hobbies, Ice hockey, Lifestyle, Skating, Sports A player who uses a hockey stick to attempt to strike an opponent's head.
- He is known as a goon and a headhunter.
- Related terms
- headhunt, headhunted, headhunting, duster