What does heads-up mean? As an exclamation, Heads up! is used to call attention to danger or another important matter. As a basic noun, a heads-up is an advance notice or warning.
First recorded in 1940–45
First recorded in 1945–50
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Ultimately, they were beaten by the defending champions, but the way they took the game to them was incredible, and the players can hold their heads up high in defeat.
From BBC • Jul. 4, 2026
This is your secret weapon — though heads up, it isn’t compatible with Dedicated IP, Onion Over VPN, or P2P servers.
From Salon • Jun. 2, 2026
Clark, who heads up the California Hospice and Palliative Care Assn., has been struggling to get clarity on the issue.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026
It feels a little bit like Skynet giving us a heads up before incinerating the atmosphere, but I’ll take it.
From Slate • Feb. 8, 2026
Soon a line of six or seven squad cars turns the far comer and heads up the block toward us.
From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee
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.
