Meanings
nounbridgehead (plural bridgeheads)
plural bridgeheads
- governmentA fortification around the end of a bridge.
- governmentAn area of ground on the enemy's side of a river or other obstacle, especially one that needs to be taken and defended in order to secure an advance.
He believed the invasion would happen elsewhere and it wasn't until late in the afternoon and long after the Allied forces had established a bridgehead that Hitler was convinced of the need to do something.
2021, Otto English, Fake History, page 243 - physicalchemistryEither of the two atoms in different parts of a molecule that are connected by a bridge of two or more other atoms
Synonyms & antonyms
nounan area in hostile territory that has been captured and is held awaiting further troops and supplies
Similar
Broader
combat zonecombat area
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Frenchtête de pont
- Englishbridgehead
Calque of French tête de pont, equivalent to bridge + head.
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic رَأْس جِسْر, رَأْس جِسْر
- رَأْس جِسْر (raʔs jisr)area around the end of a bridge
- رَأْس جِسْر (raʔs jisr)area of ground on the enemy's side of an obstacle
Bulgarian предмо́стие, плацда́рм
- предмо́стие (predmóstie)area around the end of a bridge
- плацда́рм (placdárm)area of ground on the enemy's side of an obstacle
Chinese Mandarin 橋頭 /桥头, 橋頭堡 /桥头堡
- 橋頭 /桥头 (qiáotóu)area around the end of a bridge
- 橋頭堡 /桥头堡 (qiáotóubǎo)area of ground on the enemy's side of an obstacle
Czech předmostí, předmostí
- předmostíarea around the end of a bridge
- předmostíarea of ground on the enemy's side of an obstacle
Danish brohoved
- brohovedarea of ground on the enemy's side of an obstacle
Dutch landhoofd, bruggenhoofd
- landhoofdarea around the end of a bridge
- bruggenhoofdarea around the end of a bridge
- bruggenhoofdfortification
- bruggenhoofdarea of ground on the enemy's side of an obstacle
Estonian platsdarm
- platsdarmarea of ground on the enemy's side of an obstacle
Finnish sillanpää, sillanpääasema
- sillanpääarea around the end of a bridge
- sillanpääasemafortification
- sillanpääarea of ground on the enemy's side of an obstacle
- sillanpääasemaarea of ground on the enemy's side of an obstacle
French tête de pont, tête de pont
- tête de pontfortification
- tête de pontarea of ground on the enemy's side of an obstacle
German Brückenende, Brückenkopf
- Brückenendearea around the end of a bridge
- Brückenkopffortification
- Brückenkopfarea of ground on the enemy's side of an obstacle
Greek προγεφύρωμα
- προγεφύρωμα (progefýroma)area of ground on the enemy's side of an obstacle
Hungarian hídfő, hídfőállás
- hídfőarea around the end of a bridge
- hídfőállásarea of ground on the enemy's side of an obstacle
Irish ceann droichid, ceann droichid
- ceann droichidarea around the end of a bridge
- ceann droichidarea of ground on the enemy's side of an obstacle
Italian testa di ponte
- testa di pontearea of ground on the enemy's side of an obstacle
Japanese 橋頭堡
- 橋頭堡 (kyōtōho)area of ground on the enemy's side of an obstacle
Korean 교두보
- 교두보 (gyodubo)area of ground on the enemy's side of an obstacle
Latvian placdarms
- placdarmsarea of ground on the enemy's side of an obstacle
Lithuanian placdarmas
- placdarmasarea of ground on the enemy's side of an obstacle
Norwegian Bokmål brohode, bruhode
- brohodearea of ground on the enemy's side of an obstacle
- bruhodearea of ground on the enemy's side of an obstacle
Polish przyczółek
- przyczółekarea of ground on the enemy's side of an obstacle
Portuguese cabeça de ponte
- cabeça de pontearea of ground on the enemy's side of an obstacle
Romanian cap de pod, cap de pod
- cap de podarea around the end of a bridge
- cap de podarea of ground on the enemy's side of an obstacle
Russian тет-де-по́н, предмо́стье
- тет-де-по́н (tɛt-dɛ-pón)area around the end of a bridge
- предмо́стье (predmóstʹje)area around the end of a bridge
- предмо́стие (predmóstije)area around the end of a bridge
- плацда́рм (placdárm)area around the end of a bridge
- тет-де-по́н (tɛt-dɛ-pón)fortification
- плацда́рм (placdárm)area of ground on the enemy's side of an obstacle
Slovak predmostie
- predmostiearea of ground on the enemy's side of an obstacle
Swedish brofäste, brohuvud
- brofästearea around the end of a bridge
- brohuvudfortification
- brohuvudarea of ground on the enemy's side of an obstacle
Ukrainian плацда́рм, плацда́рм
- плацда́рм (placdárm)area around the end of a bridge
- плацда́рм (placdárm)area of ground on the enemy's side of an obstacle
Welsh pen y bont, talbont
- pen y bontarea around the end of a bridge
- talbontarea around the end of a bridge
- blaenladiadfortification
- troedlearea of ground on the enemy's side of an obstacle
Cite this entry
APA
bridgehead. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bridgehead
MLA
“bridgehead.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bridgehead. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bridgehead,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bridgehead.
Source: bridgehead on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.