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Synonyms

headlong

American  
[hed-lawng, -long] / ˈhɛdˌlɔŋ, -ˌlɒŋ /

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 British  
/ ˈhɛdˌlɒŋ /

adverb

  1. with the head foremost; headfirst

  2. with great haste

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • headlongness noun

Etymology

Origin of headlong

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

Explanation

Headlong describes something done headfirst, rashly, or really quickly. If you’re the star batter on your baseball team, it’s expected that you'll make a headlong dive for the base. Headlong can refer to hasty actions, but it can also be used more figuratively to describe decisions that are reckless or made in a hurry. Your sister may tend to weigh all the options, but you make headlong decisions. When you decided headlong to move to Florida for a chance to play professionally, your sister thought you’d gone off your rocker — but the day you sign a major contract, she’ll be singing a different tune.

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

John Keats couldn’t have better described a woman whose love is true, headlong, self-emptying and completely other-directed.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026

Their love scene in the rain, while obviously less visually spectacular than in the film, plunges headlong into romantic cliches that manage to get the job done despite their obviousness.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 9, 2026

Saturday's Anfield horror show at the hands of Nottingham Forest was a headlong fall into the abyss.

From BBC • Nov. 22, 2025

Both Liberty Energy and ProPetro, best known for their expertise in hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, have jumped headlong into the data- center game.

From Barron's • Nov. 13, 2025

She turned to leave and ran headlong into Duff.

From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.