(of two objects) meeting with the fronts or heads foremost.
a head-on collision.
facing the direction of forward motion or alignment; frontal.
characterized by direct opposition.
a head-on confrontation.
with the front or fronts foremost
a head-on collision
with directness or without compromise
in his usual head-on fashion
With the face or front first, as in The two bicycles collided head on . [Early 1800s]
In direct conflict, in open opposition, as in They decided to meet the opposition head on .
An Americanism dating back to 1830–40
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Paris public prosecutor's office announced the death of a young man in his twenties after he crashed head-on into concrete blocks on a Paris ring road exit ramp on his motocross bike.
From Barron's • May 31, 2026
Indeed, Slavin said one of the risks of rushing head-on into a fully fibermaxxed diet is the potential for bloating and other stomach trouble, which could make people give up on longer-term consumption habits.
From MarketWatch • May 10, 2026
The company helped spark this in part by confronting these risks head-on.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026
Ben Wang delivers a breakthrough performance in the title role as a kid who tries to conquer his anxiety issues head-on by running for class president.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2026
Instead of a side view, this is a slice of the brain taken head-on.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
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.
