(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.
with the front or fronts foremost
a head-on collision
with directness or without compromise
in his usual head-on fashion
With the face or front first, as in The two bicycles collided head on . [Early 1800s]
In direct conflict, in open opposition, as in They decided to meet the opposition head on .
An Americanism dating back to 1830–40
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
John Schaeffer sent pictures of his Ram 1500, mangled by a head-on accident with a Tesla.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
Moore said she is a “huge proponent” of addressing conflict head-on via face-to-face communication.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026
Indeed, Slavin said one of the risks of rushing head-on into a fully fibermaxxed diet is the potential for bloating and other stomach trouble, which could make people give up on longer-term consumption habits.
From MarketWatch ● May 10, 2026
From tiny island states to European powers and emerging markets, nations attended the conference voluntarily after an effort to tackle fossil fuels head-on at last year's COP30 failed.
From Barron's ● Apr. 30, 2026
Typically a head-on rush for the adversary will be made, with much snarling and growling.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
However, they do not strike one another perfectly head on.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026
Bald-faced lies can be fact-checked, laughed out of court, disagreed with in polls, or at least disputed head on.
From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2026
Amazon aims to address these issues head on with its FDE initiative.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
In his early sixties, Rob Kaufman suffered a medical emergency that caused him to faint and hit his head on a wood floor, resulting in a traumatic brain injury.
From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026
Daniel went down, clonked his head on the ground, and cried out.
From "Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody" by Patrick Ness
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.
