drift and heading share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. drift means “be in motion due to some air or water current”. heading means “a line of text serving to indicate what the passage below it is about”. heading is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈdɹɪft/
1.v.be in motion due to some air or water current
“The leaves were blowing in the wind”
2.v.wander from a direct course or at random
“The child strayed from the path and her parents lost sight of her”
3.v.move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
“The gypsies roamed the woods”
/ˈhɛdɪŋ/
1.n.a line of text serving to indicate what the passage below it is about
“the heading seemed to have little to do with the text”
2.n.the direction or path along which something moves or along which it lies
3.n.a horizontal (or nearly horizontal) passageway in a mine
“they dug a drift parallel with the vein”
| drift | heading | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈdɹɪft/ | /ˈhɛdɪŋ/ |
| Said | drift | HED-ing |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Letters | 5 | 7 |
| Parts of speech | verb, noun | noun |
| Senses | 17 | 3 |
| How common | Common | Core |
| Synonyms | float, be adrift, blow | header, head |
Full entry for drift · Full entry for heading · More comparisons