adjective
adverb
Etymology
Origin of headfirst
Explanation
When you do something headfirst, your head leads the way. For example, a boy might show off by diving headfirst into a chilly lake. The adverb headfirst is useful for describing a dive or a movement that leads with the head. A stormy ocean might fling a swimmer headfirst onto the beach, or an unlucky skier could slide headfirst down a mountain. You can also use headfirst in a more figurative way, to describe something that's done impulsively, or in a foolishly hasty manner: "He plunged headfirst into this new relationship two days after breaking up with his girlfriend."
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.
To then dive headfirst into music was not an easy journey for the soft-spoken daughter of Italian immigrants.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
That’s why people sell their stocks in a panic during a market correction and/or go heavy in gold, dive headfirst into bonds and cash vehicles instead, only to regret it later.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026
This is roughly analogous to me asserting that running headfirst into a telephone pole at a full sprint will not affect my health because I do not “intend” to concuss myself.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
Weston said that anyone who fancies "throwing themselves headfirst down a mountain" should take the opportunity.
From BBC ● Feb. 16, 2026
I think she’s going to crash headfirst, but she plonks herself onto the dirt and slides down on her backside in a cloud of dust and a scattering of pebbles.
From "Without Refuge" by Jane Mitchell
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
