Words / B1

hed-KWORT-uh-z/ˌhedˈkwɔːtəz/

Headquarters are the main offices of an organisation (often with a singular verb in UK news): headquarters in Leeds; police headquarters. Head office is a close twin. Base is wider. Do not write “a headquarter”. Abbreviation HQ is common. Charities moving HQ out of London is a running story.

Meaning

The main offices of an organisation (often treated as singular).

Examples

• “The charity moved its headquarters out of central London.”
• “Police headquarters issued a statement at noon.”

Good to know

headquarters (often plural form, singular meaning); HQ. Close: head office. Not “a headquarter”. Verb agreement varies; UK news often uses singular.

Near in meaning

head office

New