headlong
Americanadverb
adverb
-
with the head foremost; headfirst
-
with great haste
adjective
Other Word Forms
- headlongness noun
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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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.
The old cast remember who they were and throw themselves headlong into their parts; the newcomers, who are given a lot to do, keep up, and it’s a shame we won’t see more of them.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026
Another way to gain food exposure without running headlong into U.S. consumer pressures is geographic diversification.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 21, 2025
Saturday's Anfield horror show at the hands of Nottingham Forest was a headlong fall into the abyss.
From BBC • Nov. 22, 2025
Both Liberty Energy and ProPetro, best known for their expertise in hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, have jumped headlong into the data- center game.
From Barron's • Nov. 13, 2025
Briefly he stopped, feeling as though he was seeing a mirage; it was himself he seemed to see, himself as he had been the day before, rushing headlong from the field.
From "The Fighting Ground" by Avi
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.
