head-on

[ hed-on, -awn ]

See synonyms for head-on on Thesaurus.com

adjective

(of two objects) meeting with the fronts or heads foremost: a head-on collision.
facing the direction of forward motion or alignment; frontal.

characterized by direct opposition: a head-on confrontation.

adverb

with the front or head foremost, especially in a collision: She stepped out of the front door and walked head-on into her husband.

Origin of head-on

An Americanism dating back to 1830–40

Words Nearby head-on

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use head-on in a sentence

Instead, the memes tackled the sexual assault allegations head-on.
The Bill Cosby Controversy Stages of Grief | Amy Zimmerman | November 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
In 1951, two controversial Paramount films tackled the continued illegality of abortion head-on.
Why Deny the Obvious: Hollywood’s Backward Stance on Abortion | Teo Bugbee | June 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
I was really surprised because head-on had already been brought to the screen six years ago.
Game of Thrones’ Sibel Kekilli Discusses Shae’s Treachery at the Trial of Tyrion Lannister | Marlow Stern | May 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
By its final chapter The Tender Soldier addresses head-on the unrealistic expectations—and limitations—of a war-weary superpower.
Send in the Marines—and the Anthropologists too? | John Kael Weston | August 23, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
I wanted to meet a dangerous subject head-on with a dangerous character.
The Modern ‘Lolita’: Dramatizing the Mind of a Female Pedophile in Alissa Nutting’s ‘Tampa’ | Roxane Gay | June 28, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST

The board bothered her, for she couldn't make a head-on attack on the fence, but it didn't bother her long.
The Red Cow and Her Friends | Peter McArthur
Even as he looked a huge gray ape came bounding out, head-on toward Rajah, who despised these foolish beasts.
The Adventures of Kathlyn | Harold MacGrath
So engrossed was he in anger that he almost blundered head-on into the grinning red-head who lounged up the corridor toward him.
Feline Red | Robert Sampson
The general effect is similar to that produced by two ships having a head-on collision at ten miles per second.
Islands of Space | John W Campbell
She was almost out of sight around the planet when she ran head-on into it, and vanished in an awesome blaze.
Space Viking | Henry Beam Piper

British Dictionary definitions for head-on

head-on

adverb, adjective

with the front or fronts foremost: a head-on collision
with directness or without compromise: in his usual head-on fashion

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with head-on

head-on

With the face or front first, as in The two bicycles collided head on. [Early 1800s]

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