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.
The new smart glasses will let a wearer "stay hands free and heads up," according to Shahram Izadi, a Google executive who spoke during Tuesday's event.
From BBC • May 19, 2026
A family of Latter-Day Saints heads up Angel Studios, and a fair share of its titles across both television and film spaces are right-leaning media with Christian values.
From Salon • May 3, 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
Meetings could get heated as colleagues debated the way forward, said Angela Johnston, who heads up product development globally for Huggies.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026
Henry heads up the hill toward Chatham Pier.
From "Shouting at the Rain" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
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.
