Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Topic: HUMAN

Language: Old English
Origin: hær

hair

 noun
     
hair S1 W1
1 [uncountable]HBH the mass of things like fine threads that grows on your headCOLLOCATIONS COLLOCATIONS
brush/comb your hair do your hair (=arrange it in a style) have/get your hair cut/done (=by a hairdresser) short/long hair shoulder-length hair fair/blonde hair (=hair that is yellowish-white in colour) dark hair red/auburn hair also ginger hair British English (=hair that is orangey-brown in colour) straight/curly hair frizzy hair (=hair that is tightly curled) wavy hair (=hair with loose curls) fine/thick hair lank hair (=hair that is thin, straight, and unattractive) dark-haired/fair-haired/long-haired etc strand of hair (=a thin piece of hair) lock of hair (=a fairly thick piece of hair) mop of hair (=a large amount of thick untidy hair) be losing your hair (=be going bald) run your fingers through your/somebody's hair ruffle/tousle somebody's hair (=make it untidy by rubbing your hand through it)
She put on her lipstick and brushed her hair.
I must get my hair cut - it's getting very long.
You've had your hair done differently.
His hair was short and dark.
a young woman with short blonde hair
Her long wavy hair was tied back with a bow.
He's a tall, fair-haired guy.
He had a mop of curly black hair.
Men are always worrying about losing their hair.
She kissed him on the cheek and ruffled his hair.
! When you mean 'all the hair on a person's head', hair is an uncountable noun: He has black hair (NOT He has black hairs).
2 [countable]HBHHBA one of the long fine things like thread that grows on people's heads and on other parts of their bodies, or similar things that grow on animals:
The cat has left white hairs all over the sofa.
I'm starting to get a few grey hairs.
long-haired/short-haired
long-haired cats
3

be tearing/pulling your hair out

to be very worried or angry about something, especially because you do not know what to do:
Anyone else would have been tearing their hair out trying to work it out.
4

let your hair down

informal to enjoy yourself and start to relax, especially after working very hard:
The party gave us all a chance to really let our hair down.
5

bad hair day

a day when your hair does not look tidy or neat even when you try to arrange it carefully - used humorously:
I'm having a bit of a bad hair day.
6

keep your hair on

British English spoken used to tell someone to keep calm and not get annoyed:
All right, all right, keep your hair on! I'm sorry.
7

get in somebody's hair

informal to annoy someone, especially by always being near them
8

make somebody's hair stand on end

to make someone very frightened
9

make somebody's hair curl

if a story, experience etc makes your hair curl, it is very surprising, frightening, or shocking:
tales that would make your hair curl
10

not have a hair out of place

to have a very neat appearance
11

not turn a hair

to remain completely calm when something bad or surprising suddenly happens
12

not harm/touch a hair of/on somebody's head

to not harm someone in any way
13

the hair of the dog (that bit you)

DFD alcohol that you drink to cure a headache caused by drinking too much alcohol the night before - used humorously

➔ have a good/fine/thick etc head of hair

at head1 (14)

➔ not see hide nor hair of

at hide2 (5)

➔ split hairs

at split1 (8)
Definition of hair from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English within
the topic HUMAN
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The HUMAN
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foetal position

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