bring something/come to a head

come to a head

To reach a point of intensity at which action must be taken. The issues that you're trying to ignore in your relationship will come to a head eventually, so you might as well deal with them now. Tensions in our community came to a head following the mayor's insensitive comments.See also: come, head

come to a head

Fig. [for a problem] to reach a critical or crucial stage. At the end of the week, everything came to a head and Sam was fired.See also: come, head

come to a head

COMMON If a problem or disagreement comes to a head, it becomes so bad that you have to take action to deal with it. Matters came to a head on Monday when he threatened to resign. These problems came to a head in September when five of the station's journalists were sacked. Note: You can also say that a particular event or fact brings a problem or disagreement to a head. The crisis is believed to have been brought to a head by demands from the bank. Note: This expression may refer to farmers waiting for cabbage leaves to grow together and form a head. Alternatively, the reference may be to a boil (= painful lump on the skin) forming a head (= white part in the middle) just before it bursts. See also: come, head

come (or bring) to a head

reach (or cause to reach) a crisis.See also: come, head

bring something/come to a ˈhead

if you bring a situation to a head or it comes to a head you are forced to deal with it quickly because it suddenly becomes very bad: Matters came to a head yesterday when an emergency meeting was called to demand the directors’ resignation. ♢ Her recent public remarks about company policy have finally brought matters to a head.See also: bring, come, head, something