head-on

1 of 2

adverb

ˈhed-ˈȯn 

-ˈän

1

: with the head or front making the initial contact

the cars collided head-on

2

: in direct opposition, confrontation, or contradiction

met the problem head-on

head-on

2 of 2

adjective

1

: having the front facing in the direction of initial contact or line of sight

a head-on collision

2

: very direct : frontal sense 2b

a head-on confrontation

Synonyms of head-on

Adverb

• head-to-head
• one-on-one
• toe-to-toe
• face-to-face
• eyeball-to-eyeball

Examples of head-on in a Sentence

Adverb

the underdog team met its more talented opponent head-on and won the hockey game through sheer grit

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

Perkins, who is CEO of Canva, addressed head-on the concerns among many who work in creative industries about the potential for AI to supplant human labor. —Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026

Figures of Crisis makes productive use of this commonplace idea by tackling it head-on and turning it inside out. —Ara H. Merjian, ARTnews.com, 16 Apr. 2026

Adjective

Two people have been hospitalized as trauma alerts after a head-on accident involving multiple vehicles in southwest Miami-Dade. —Ana Maria Soler, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2026

Two buses crashed head-on near a Pentagon bus stop on Friday, injuring 23 people, including Defense Department personnel. —ABC News, 24 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adverb

1809, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1887, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for head-on

• anton
• argon
• axon
• baronne
• baryon
• baton
• boron
• buisson
• bygone
• capon
• cardon
• chiffon

Kids Definition

head-on

adjective

-ˈȯn, 

-ˈän

: having the head or front facing forward : front to front

a head-on collision