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
Chris Deubert, Forbes, 19 Nov. 2024
Arsenal rushed headlong into an unexpected title race in August 2022, led the Premier League by seven points in the December, then burned out — winning only twice in eight matches across April and May — and finished five points behind serial champions Manchester City.
—Jordan Campbell, The Athletic, 11 Aug. 2024
Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Nov. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for headlong 
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Adverb
The upstarts’ efforts though, ran headlong into the MLBPA’s Agent Regulations.
—Chris Deubert, Forbes, 19 Nov. 2024
Arsenal rushed headlong into an unexpected title race in August 2022, led the Premier League by seven points in the December, then burned out — winning only twice in eight matches across April and May — and finished five points behind serial champions Manchester City.
—Jordan Campbell, The Athletic, 11 Aug. 2024
Adjective
The show’s vibrant aesthetic and period pop score, meanwhile, provide a nostalgia trip to the early 2000s — while not shying away from what the era’s headlong embrace of social media did to our grasp on collective truth.
—Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Nov. 2024
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
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 26 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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