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  • heads up
    heads up
    interjection
    (used to call attention to an impending danger or the need for immediate alertness.)
  • heads-up
    heads-up
    adjective
    quick to grasp a situation and take advantage of opportunities; alert; resourceful.
Synonyms

heads up

1 American  

interjection

  1. (used to call attention to an impending danger or the need for immediate alertness.)

heads-up 2 American  
[hedz-uhp] / ˈhɛdzˌʌp /

adjective

  1. quick to grasp a situation and take advantage of opportunities; alert; resourceful.

noun

  1. a warning in advance.

    sending a heads-up to the Pentagon about possible attacks.
heads up British  

noun

  1. a tip-off or small amount of information given in advance

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
heads up Idioms  

  1. A warning to watch out for potential danger, as in Heads up, that tree is coming down now! The expression is generally in the form of an interjection. [c. 1940]

Usage

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.

Etymology

Origin of heads up1

First recorded in 1940–45

Origin of heads-up2

First recorded in 1945–50

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.

Heads up, as those seasons are added, Seasons 3-4 of “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” are going away.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 30, 2026

"I said 'why you have your heads down? Heads up, it was good'," Guardiola said of that moment.

From BBC • Feb. 22, 2023

Heads up, Honda owners—security researchers found a vulnerability in many new Hondas that can allow someone to unlock and start the car without its keys.

From The Verge • Jul. 11, 2022

Heads up, we have a serious collision on southbound I-5 at Ship Canal Bridge near NE 45th St. and all lanes are currently blocked.

From Seattle Times • May 24, 2022

The latter for Beam Heads up to 26 in. dia.

From Illustrated Catalogue of Cotton Machinery by Company, Howard & Bullough American Machine

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.