# forehead

/ˈfɔɹhɛd/ (US) · /fˈɔːhɛd/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/forehead
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. part of the face

noun · CEFR A2

the part of your face that is above your eyes and below your hair.

For teachers: the anatomical region of the face situated between the eyebrows and the hairline.

- He wiped the sweat from his forehead after finishing the long run.
- The doctor placed a cool hand on the child's forehead to check for a fever before reaching for the thermometer.

### 2. phone bezel

noun · CEFR C1 · Informal · Technical

the top part of a mobile phone or tablet above the screen.

For teachers: the upper portion of a smartphone or tablet bezel, typically housing the front camera and sensors.

- Modern phones have very thin foreheads to make the screen look bigger.
- The latest flagship model eliminates the forehead entirely by hiding the proximity sensors and camera beneath the display panel.

Usage: Often paired with 'chin' to describe the bottom bezel of a device.

### 3. boldness

noun · CEFR C2 · Literary · Archaic

a lot of confidence or being rude in a brave way.

For teachers: audacity, impudence, or shameless confidence.

- He had the forehead to ask for a raise after being late every day.
- The young clerk had the forehead to challenge the senior partner's legal interpretation during the open meeting.

Teaching tip: This sense is very rare in modern speech; learners should use 'nerve' or 'audacity' instead.

## Examples

- She wiped the sweat from her forehead after the run.
- The doctor placed a hand on the child's forehead to check if he had a fever.
- Deep lines of worry were etched across his forehead as he contemplated the difficult decision that lay ahead of him.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.