headquarters
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.the main building or office where the leaders of a company or organization work.
n.the central administrative office or place of business from which an organization is directed.
Simple“The tech company moved its global headquarters to a new building in the city center.”
In context“The multinational corporation decided to relocate its regional headquarters to Singapore to better manage its expanding operations in Southeast Asia.”
UsageCan be treated as either singular or plural; 'the headquarters is' and 'the headquarters are' are both acceptable.
PitfallThe company's headquarter is in London. The company's headquarters is in London.Even when referring to a single building, the word almost always ends in 's'.
Antonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.the place where a military commander and their staff give orders.
n.the military installation or unit from which a commander exercises command and control.
Simple“The general returned to headquarters to plan the next stage of the mission.”
In context“Field officers were summoned to headquarters to receive classified briefings regarding the upcoming deployment across the border.”
Synonyms - 03 C1 Advanced
v.to have the main office or center of operations in a specific place.
v.to establish or locate the headquarters of an organization in a particular place.
Simple“The charity is headquartered in Geneva but works in over fifty countries.”
In context“Although the startup was founded in a garage, it is now headquartered in a sprawling campus designed to foster creative collaboration.”
UsageUsually used in the passive voice ('is headquartered in').
“She also travelled by bus to the district headquarters in Chhatarpur, carrying her documents.”
“The UN hosted more than 600 young people from around the world on Wednesday at New York Headquarters to discuss how AI can support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”
From head + quarters.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.