headlong

adverb head·long \ ˈhed-ˈlȯŋ \

Updated on: 20 Apr 2018

Definition of headlong

1 : headfirst 1

2 : without deliberation : recklessly

rushes headlong into danger

3 : without pause or delay

See headlong defined for English-language learners

See headlong defined for kids

headlong was our Word of the Day on 04/19/2018. Hear the podcast!

Examples of headlong in a Sentence

I dove headlong to the floor.
plunged headlong into the crowd in pursuit of the purse snatcher

Recent Examples of headlong from the Web

Across the clinical development ecosystem, the desire to use data for faster discovery is running headlong into the inefficiencies caused by fragmented systems, processes and departments.

— renee morad, Scientific American, "A Flood of Medical Data Could Improve Clinical Trials—or Hinder Them," 12 Mar. 2018
The momentum is headlong, the visual fireworks are brilliant, and despite all the reality-flipping, every scene is perfectly staged.

— jake coyle, kansascity, "Spielberg romps through the past in ‘Ready Player One’ | The Kansas City Star," 28 Mar. 2018
Nola attracts trouble and Zig jumps headlong into the middle of it.

— anita porterfield, San Antonio Express-News, "A military mortician solves a mystery," 15 Mar. 2018
Maybe that’s because the film could be a metaphor for her life for the last several years: Flanked by her own support squad, Rodriguez has marched headlong into a forbidding reality of chronic illness and come out stronger and bolder than ever.

— zahra barnes, SELF, "Gina Rodriguez on Hashimoto's, Equal Pay, and Learning to Fight For Herself," 21 Feb. 2018
All over the planet, villagers and farmers are rushing headlong into cities.

— bruce sterling, The Atlantic, "Stop Saying 'Smart Cities'," 12 Feb. 2018
But this fact runs headlong against a much longer deterioration of the conservative position within the electorate.

— jonathan chait, Daily Intelligencer, "New Survey Shows Young People Are Staying Liberal and Conservatives Are Dying Off," 1 Mar. 2018
That allowed Buick to take a flyer with the ★★★ 2018 Buick Regal TourX sport wagon, a handsome and practical vehicle that deserves to divert a few buyers from the auto industry’s headlong rush to all shapes and sizes of SUVs.

— mark phelan, Detroit Free Press, "Review: 2018 Buick Regal TourX sport wagon delivers room, style value," 8 Feb. 2018
Trump’s statement about Haiti and African nations runs headlong into this.

— erick erickson, Washington Post, "A word too far? Some evangelicals may have reached the breaking point with Trump.," 19 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'headlong.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of headlong

Middle English hedlong, alteration of hedling, from hed head

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

headlong Synonyms

Phrases

on the spur of the moment;

headlong

adjective head·long \ ˈhed-ˌlȯŋ \

Definition of headlong

1 archaic : steep, precipitous

2 : lacking in calmness or restraint : precipitate

a headlong torrent of emotion

3 : plunging headfirst

Examples of headlong in a Sentence

terrified forest creatures in a headlong retreat from the rapidly spreading fire

Recent Examples of headlong from the Web

The full cost of that headlong spree started becoming clear last year as Chinese authorities, alarmed by mounting financial risks, slammed the brakes on Anbang and peers such as HNA Group.

— Bloomberg.com, "Three China Insurers Found Violating Investment Rules," 24 Feb. 2018
Its plentiful reproductions vividly trace the headlong first decade of the work of Nina Chanel Abney, a promising painter whose bright, stenciled surfaces draw equally from dire current events and modernist art.

— holland cotter, roberta smith and jason farago, New York Times, "The Best Art Books of 2017," 14 Dec. 2017
Regarded as a stabilizing figure amid political turbulence and headlong modernization, the king’s passing on Oct. 13, 2016 also evoked anxiety about what comes next as the country confronts the close of an era.

— Washington Post, "King’s legacy still felt strongly as Thailand bids goodbye," 22 Oct. 2017
The track is 28 minutes long, building continuously before moving into headlong rapture, which was, of course, implicit in everything that had gone before.

— geoff dyer, New York Times, "My Obsession With the Necks, the Greatest Trio on Earth," 4 Oct. 2017
WeWork appears to be on a headlong expansion binge.

— jeanette steele, sandiegouniontribune.com, "WeWork to expand co-working empire into University City," 25 Oct. 2017
Wildfires whipped by powerful winds swept through Northern California sent residents on a headlong flight to safety through smoke and flames as homes burned.

— benjy egel, sacbee, "Updated: These 30 businesses have burned in the Wine Country wildfires | The Sacramento Bee," 11 Oct. 2017
Bonds, meanwhile, are in headlong retreat as the market revises up its expectations for a rate hike in December.

— alan murray, Fortune, "Stranded in the Middle — CEO Daily, Friday, 6th October," 6 Oct. 2017
Intelligent readers can’t help but interpret his front pages and editorial decisions in the light of his known lack of respect for the prime minister and his disapproval of a headlong rush into Brexit.

— ed caesar, Esquire, "George Osborne's Revenge," 15 Sep. 2017

First Known Use of headlong

circa 1533

headlong Synonyms

Synonyms

cursory, flying, hasty, helter-skelter, hurried, overhasty, pell-mell, precipitate, precipitous, rash, rushed;

Antonyms

deliberate, unhurried, unrushed;

Near Antonyms

calculated, calculating, measured;

circumspect, foresighted, forethoughtful;

drawn-out, extended, long-term, prolonged;

faltering, hesitant, hesitating, tentative;

dallying, dawdling, laggard, leisurely, poky (or pokey), shilly-shallying, slow;

Related Words

breakneck, breathtaking;

headstrong, heady, hotheaded, impatient, impetuous, impulsive, madcap, reckless, unadvised;

quick, rapid, speedy, swift;

horseback, impromptu, makeshift, offhand, offhanded, off-the-cuff, rush, slapdash, snap, spontaneous, spur-of-the-moment;

abrupt, sudden;

Synonym Discussion of headlong

precipitate, headlong, abrupt, impetuous, sudden mean showing undue haste or unexpectedness. precipitate stresses lack of due deliberation and implies prematureness of action.

- the army's precipitate withdrawal

headlong stresses rashness and lack of forethought.

- a headlong flight from arrest

abrupt stresses curtness and a lack of warning or ceremony.

- an abrupt refusal

impetuous stresses extreme impatience or impulsiveness.

- an impetuous lover proposing marriage

sudden stresses unexpectedness and sharpness or violence of action.

- flew into a sudden rage

HEADLONG Defined for English Language Learners

headlong

adverb

Definition of headlong for English Language Learners

: with the head leading
: without taking time to think about your actions

HEADLONG Defined for Kids

headlong

adverb head·long \ ˈhed-ˈlȯŋ \

Definition of headlong for Students

1 : headfirst

The boys dove headlong into a pile of leaves.

2 : without waiting to think things through

Don't rush headlong into marriage.

headlong

adjective \ ˈhed-ˌlȯŋ \

Definition of headlong for Students

1 : ¹rash, impulsive

“I don't rush into things in your headlong way, Anne.”
—Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Avonlea

2 : plunging headfirst

He made a headlong run for the exit.

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headlong

Definition of headlong

headlong was our Word of the Day on 04/19/2018. Hear the podcast!

Examples of headlong in a Sentence

Recent Examples of headlong from the Web

Origin and Etymology of headlong

headlong Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Phrases

headlong

Definition of headlong

Examples of headlong in a Sentence

Recent Examples of headlong from the Web

First Known Use of headlong

headlong Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Synonym Discussion of headlong

HEADLONG Defined for English Language Learners

headlong

Definition of headlong for English Language Learners

HEADLONG Defined for Kids

headlong

Definition of headlong for Students

headlong

Definition of headlong for Students

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