2
: without deliberation : recklessly
rushes headlong into danger
3
: without pause or delay
1
archaic
: steep, precipitous
2
: lacking in calmness or restraint : precipitate
a headlong torrent of emotion
3
: plunging headfirst
Did you know?
Headlong was born out of the Middle English word hedling, a combination of hed ("head") and -ling, an adverb suffix meaning "in such a direction or manner." Thus, hedling meant "with the head first”; it was originally applied to descriptions of falling, or to downward movement. Likely due to the influence of the words along and long, -ling came to be understood as a variant of the adverb suffix -long, a development that carried headlong, as well as sidelong, along with it.
Synonyms
Examples of headlong in a Sentence
Adverb
I dove headlong to the floor.
plunged headlong into the crowd in pursuit of the purse snatcher
Adjective
terrified forest creatures in a headlong retreat from the rapidly spreading fire
Recent Examples on the Web
Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2024
Recent efforts to address health disparities have run headlong into racist policies still entrenched in health systems.
—Kff Health News, The Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2024
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2024
Since 2019, cord-cutting has robbed the Diamond RSNs of as many as 25 million subscribers, and the headlong rush to uncouple from the traditional cable/satellite/telco-TV bundle is only accelerating.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 18 Oct. 2024
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Adverb
Talk about throwing yourself headlong into something — what gave you the confidence to go after that role?
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2024
Recent efforts to address health disparities have run headlong into racist policies still entrenched in health systems.
—Kff Health News, The Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2024
Adjective
From there things just keep happening, as one event unfolds into another in a headlong rush amid the incessant clatter of plates and pans and the machine spitting out endless order tickets.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2024
Since 2019, cord-cutting has robbed the Diamond RSNs of as many as 25 million subscribers, and the headlong rush to uncouple from the traditional cable/satellite/telco-TV bundle is only accelerating.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 18 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for headlong
Articles Related to headlong
Dictionary Entries Near headlong
Cite this Entry
“Headlong.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/headlong. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
headlong
1 of 2 adverb
head·long
ˈhed-ˈlȯŋ 
1
2
: without careful thought : recklessly
headlong
2 of 2 adjective1
: lacking in calmness or restraint : rash
headlong flight
2
: plunging headfirst
a headlong dive
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