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
The heads up of a possible U.K. sale of assets would have allowed Epstein to possibly trade on the information.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 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
“I thought, ‘OK, I’m just going to give them a little heads up of what the film’s actually about.’
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 30, 2026
The grass was tall and turning brown, but a few wildflowers still poked their heads up above the meadow.
From "The Lions of Little Rock" by Kristin Levine
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.
