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.
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
She gave a heads up to several Goldman executives before the Daily Beast published an article in November 2020 revealing she was in the courtroom at Epstein’s 2019 arraignment.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 20, 2026
The simple act of moving their heads up and down, ostensibly for another reason entirely — was sufficient to cause them to recommend a policy that would take money out of their own pockets.
From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell
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.
