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

Francona, who jokingly complained of a sore neck from Naylor’s headbutt while talking to reporters, praised the 25 year old for changing his approach once Cotton (2-2, 3.66) got to two strikes in the count. —Joe Noga, cleveland, 29 June 2022

But Pulido’s 29th-minute red card for a headbutt on Cincinnati center back Yerson Mosquera flipped the match. —The Enquirer, 24 July 2023

In the penultimate fight, Ardreal Holmes Jr (14-0, 5 KOs) won the USBA super-middleweight title with an unpopular split-decision win over Wendy Toussaint in a fight shortened to eight rounds by an accidental headbutt. —Dave Hogg, Detroit Free Press, 4 June 2023

Naylor screamed, cursed and delivered a headbutt to manager Terry Francona as the two met near Cleveland’s dugout. —Joe Noga, cleveland, 29 June 2022

No penalty was called on the play, but after the NHL’s department of player safety reviewed the incident, it was determined the headbutt was delivered with intent to injure. —Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2022

An accidental headbutt to Plant opened up a cut above Plant's nose in the eighth round, and Benavidez pounded away at the body, neutralizing his opponent's quickness. —José M. Romero, The Arizona Republic, 25 Mar. 2023

The animal sidesteps the vehicle and rushes the man again, giving him a headbutt. —Paul Richards, Field & Stream, 20 Mar. 2023

Gayla Bieksha: The headbutt was a huge piece for us. —Peter Van Sant, CBS News, 11 Mar. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1925, in the meaning defined above