headlong

[ hed-lawng, -long ]

adverb

1. with the head foremost; headfirst:

   to plunge headlong into the water.

2. without delay; hastily:

   to plunge headlong into work.

3. without deliberation; rashly:

   to rush headlong into battle.

adjective

1. undertaken quickly and suddenly; made precipitately; hasty:

   a headlong flight.

2. rash; impetuous:

   a headlong denunciation.

3. done or going with the head foremost:

   a headlong dive into the pool.

headlong

/ ˈhɛdˌlɒŋ /

adverb

1. with the head foremost; headfirst
2. with great haste

adjective

1. archaic.
   (of slopes, etc) very steep; precipitous

Other Words From

• headlongness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of headlong¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English hedlong, earlier hedling; head, -ling ²

Example Sentences

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.

From Los Angeles Times

Recent efforts to address health disparities have run headlong into racist policies still entrenched in health systems.

From Salon

The headlong rush into streaming fragmentation was driven, it seems, by a desire to spike short-term quarterly earnings reports to please the Wall Street overlords.

From Salon

And yet, despite Hernandez's wrongdoings, Zicherman caveated that his case is somewhat of a cautionary tale, a lethal cocktail that saw Hernandez's consistent lack of guiding authority figures crash headlong with a franchise that often views players as "commodities."

From Salon

That’s what he fears most now, and it helps explain why he seems to be going from merely off the rails to a headlong dash to la-la land.

From Salon

Related Words

• breakneck
• hurried
• sudden