headlong
Americanadverb
adverb
-
with the head foremost; headfirst
-
with great haste
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of headlong
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English hedlong, earlier hedling; see head, -ling 2
Explanation
Headlong describes something done headfirst, rashly, or really quickly. If you’re the star batter on your baseball team, it’s expected that you'll make a headlong dive for the base. Headlong can refer to hasty actions, but it can also be used more figuratively to describe decisions that are reckless or made in a hurry. Your sister may tend to weigh all the options, but you make headlong decisions. When you decided headlong to move to Florida for a chance to play professionally, your sister thought you’d gone off your rocker — but the day you sign a major contract, she’ll be singing a different tune.
Vocabulary lists containing headlong
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List 5
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Hall's play was then chosen for the venture, and the concept has now been picked up by UK touring company Headlong for a series of performances around England.
From BBC • Apr. 25, 2023
Both are directed by Robert Icke, a graduate of Cambridge who has worked in leadership roles at such outstanding London companies as Headlong and Almeida Theatre, the latter founded in 1979 by Audi.
From Washington Post • Jul. 8, 2022
On the roster: Headlong into the mud - Trump promises police reforms, but narrowly - Senate GOP hurries to produce policing bill - Trump to accept re-nomination in Jacksonville - First Atlantis and now this...
From Fox News • Jun. 12, 2020
A few months ago, Dan Taberski joined us to talk about latest season of his Headlong podcast, Running From Cops, focused on reality television shows about police.
From Slate • Jul. 25, 2019
It was Wales, too, that furnished the scene of his first and far from worst novel Headlong Hall, which was published in 1816.
From Essays in English Literature, 1780-1860 by Saintsbury, George
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
