heads-up

1 of 3

noun

ˈhedz-ˈəp 

: a message that alerts or prepares : warning

gave him a heads-up that an investigation was pending

heads-up

2 of 3

adjective

: showing or requiring keen awareness and swift action

a heads-up player

Alex Rodriguez's heads-up play helped give Seattle the upper hand in a 3-2 victory Saturday against Baltimore.

—Chuck Johnson

heads up

3 of 3

interjection

—used as a warning to look out for danger especially overhead or to clear a passageway

Synonyms of heads-up

Noun

• warning

Examples of heads-up in a Sentence

Noun

thanks for the heads-up about the upcoming visit from the corporate big shots

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The storyline felt really intentional, and that's a testament to the writers and producers, who gave me a heads-up that this was the plan for Maya. — Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026

Credit monitoring can also give you a faster heads-up when a new account or inquiry hits your file. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 18 June 2026

Adjective

The abrupt booting smarted even more because no one from Decca had notified Dolly about the decision or given her a heads-up that the press would be calling. — Martha Ackmann, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2026

Thirteen seconds of chaos and heads-up baserunning — something the Marlins had lacked at points the first two games of this series (and, because of their overall aggressive approach, a lot this season) — gave Miami an insurance run. — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 26 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1977, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1913, in the meaning defined above

Interjection

1916, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for heads-up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup