headquarters
n. · v.-
1 main office (n.) B2 Upper Intermediatethe main building or office where the leaders of a company or organization work.
the central administrative office or place of business from which an organization is directed.
ExampleThe tech company moved its global headquarters to a new building in the city center.
ExampleThe 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'.
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2 military command (n.) B2 Upper Intermediatethe place where a military commander and their staff give orders.
the military installation or unit from which a commander exercises command and control.
ExampleThe general returned to headquarters to plan the next stage of the mission.
ExampleField officers were summoned to headquarters to receive classified briefings regarding the upcoming deployment across the border.
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3 to be based in (v.) C1 Advanced Formalto have the main office or center of operations in a specific place.
to establish or locate the headquarters of an organization in a particular place.
ExampleThe charity is headquartered in Geneva but works in over fifty countries.
ExampleAlthough 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').
From head + quarters.