headbutt

noun

head·​butt ˈhed-ˌbət 

variants or head-butt or head butt

plural headbutts or head-butts or head butts

: a violent blow with the forehead or crown of the head especially into the face or head of another person

I took the offensive next, figuring a headbutt to the bridge of his nose would be a strategic response …

—Corwin Ericson

A fearless former BMX racer … , McEwen uses elbows, shoulders and an occasional head butt to fight for position in the sprint.

—Michael Henson

headbutt verb, transitive + intransitive

or head-butt

headbutted or head-butted; headbutting or head-butting; headbutts or head-butts

When Mr. Bartle got up, Gordon headbutted him, breaking his nose and leaving him needing an operation …

—Rob Kennedy

It has been awhile since Dennis Rodman head-butted Chicago's Stacey King and was ejected from a game …

—Joe Menzer

Ordinary soccer brutes head-butt to break an opponent's nose.

—Time

headbutter noun

or head-butter

plural headbutters or head-butters

The others, skinny kids from Leeds, were headbutters and kickers and they got into a corner and took out several locals before Cashin … got there.

—Peter Temple

Examples of headbutt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Because the officials lacked conclusive evidence, the ruling in the ring of a headbutt stood as the official reason the fight ended. —Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 12 May 2025

But Fenix, just weeks after debuting in WWE, lost his WrestleMania debut match after Americano slyly placed a steel plate inside his mask before blasting Fenix with a devastating headbutt. —Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2025

Nunez was sent off in his first game at Anfield for a rash headbutt in a disappointing 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace. —Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025

Blood is spewing out of Serrano's right eye from the earlier headbutt. —Greg Rosenstein, NBC News, 16 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1925, in the meaning defined above