heads up

¹

interjection

1. (used to call attention to an impending danger or the need for immediate alertness.)

heads-up

²

[ hedz-uhp ]

adjective

1. quick to grasp a situation and take advantage of opportunities; alert; resourceful.

noun

1. a warning in advance:

   sending a heads-up to the Pentagon about possible attacks.

heads up

noun

1. a tip-off or small amount of information given in advance

Word History and Origins

Origin of heads up¹

First recorded in 1940–45

Origin of heads up²

First recorded in 1945–50

Idioms and Phrases

A warning to watch out for potential danger, as in Heads up, that tree is coming down now! The expression is generally in the form of an interjection. [c. 1940]

Example Sentences

When we pick our heads up from this moment and look further into the distance, what we need to see is that there is a better democracy that is out there in the distance.

From Slate

Our group heads up to a balcony overlooking the hall.

From BBC

“Heads up! They’re $5.99 per pound. Not $5.99 per sandwich,” one user commented alongside a sandwich emoji under Lamb’s post.

From Salon

David Morrisey's character, Ian St Clair, has left his job as a senior police officer and now heads up Sherwood's fictional "Violence Intervention Team".

From BBC

“Putting a child in prison is not the answer,” says Detective Chief Inspector Larisa Hunt, who heads up Avon and Somerset Police’s early intervention team.

From BBC