Dictionary

headlong en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• /ˈhɛd.lɔŋ/ (General-American)
• /ˈhɛd.lɑŋ/ (cot-caught-merger)
• (US) audio
• /ˈhɛd.lɒŋ/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From Middle English hedlong, alteration of hedling, heedling, hevedlynge (“headlong”), assimilated to long. More at headling.

Meanings

1. Precipitous.
   • Their path led them past sharp cliffs, along narrow trails unknown and untrodden, past headlong boulders strewn across barren, treeless, wind-haunted heights. 1961, Norma Lorre Goodrich, “Beowulf”, in The Medieval Myths, New York: The New American Library, page 35:
2. Plunging downwards head foremost.
   • On sighting their prey, they check their flight and hurtle in a headlong dive to the sea. 1993, Michael Hume Jackson, Galapagos, a Natural History, page 143:
3. Rushing forward without restraint.
   • Bumps, bruises, and scratches are often the result of their efforts to outstrip each other in the headlong race. 1900, James George Frazer, The Golden Bough, volume 3, page 243:
4. (figuratively) Reckless; impetuous.
   • “Time is up,” cried another boy, more headlong than head-monitor. 1869, R[ichard] D[oddridge] Blackmore, Lorna Doone: A Romance of Exmoor. […], volume II, London: Sampson Low, Son, & Marston, […], →OCLC:

Forms

Deriveds

headlongs · headlongness

Translations (9)

es de cabeza (plunging downwards head foremost) · bg буен (rushing forward without restraint) · pdt onbesonnen (rushing forward without restraint) · no med hode først (plunging downwards head foremost) · bg с главата напред (plunging downwards head foremost) · no hals over hode (rushing forward without restraint) · ang neowol (plunging downwards head foremost) · bg стремителен (rushing forward without restraint) · bg прибързан (precipitous)

headlong en · ADV

Pronunciation

• /ˈhɛd.lɔŋ/ (General-American)
• /ˈhɛd.lɑŋ/ (cot-caught-merger)
• (US) audio
• /ˈhɛd.lɒŋ/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From Middle English hedlong, alteration of hedling, heedling, hevedlynge (“headlong”), assimilated to long. More at headling.

Meanings

1. (not-comparable) With the head first or down.
   • [A] sharp-looking old dame, […] inhabited a "laigh [low] shop," anglicé [in English], a cellar, opening to the High-street by a strait and steep stair, at the bottom of which she sold tape, thread, needles, skeans of worsted, coarse linen cloth, and such feminine gear, to those who had the courage and skill to descend to the profundity of her dwelling, without falling headlong themselves, or throwing down any of the numerous articles which, piled on each side of the descent, indicated the profession of the trader below. 1816, [Walter Scott], chapter I, in The Antiquary. […], volume I, Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, →OCLC, page 4:
2. (not-comparable) With an unrestrained forward motion.
   • Realizing he is now boxed in on all sides, Hipper decides the only remaining card he has to play is to sell his ships as dearly as possible. The remaining German ships make a hard turn southeast, and drive headlong at the Grand Fleet. It is a brave gesture, but only eight of the ships emerge from the pall of smoke that roughly marks the original German line of advance. Two more emerge minutes later, but that is all. 2018 October 17, Drachinifel, 24:24 from the start, in Last Ride of the High Seas Fleet - Battle of Texel 1918, archived from the original on 04 Aug 2022:
   • I felt deja vu as I recalled a video in which a Tesla owner slammed on the brakes after his car appeared set on crashing headlong into a construction site. 2021 November 18, Matt McFarland, “We tried Tesla’s ‘full self-driving.’ Here’s what happened”, in CNN:
   • Figures out today show the economy plunging headlong into recession.
   • When his eyes were clear again, he saw the monster had passed and was rushing landward. Big iron upper-works rose out of this headlong structure, and from that twin funnels projected, and spat a smoking blast shot with fire into the air. It was the torpedo-ram, Thunder Child, steaming headlong, coming to the rescue of the threatened shipping. 1895–1897, H[erbert] G[eorge] Wells, “The ‘Thunder Child’”, in The War of the Worlds, London: William Heinemann, published 1898, →OCLC, (please specify the page number(s)):
3. (not-comparable) Rashly; precipitately; without deliberation; in haste, hastily.

Antonyms

feet first · arselong

Synonyms

head first

Translations (54)

bg с главата напред (with the head first or down) · af halsoorkop (in haste, hastily, without deliberation) · es de cabeza (with the head first or down) · srn wantewante (in haste, hastily, without deliberation) · sh naglavce (with the head first or down) · nb med hode først (with the head first or down) · fi päistikkaa (with the head first or down) · af kop eerste (with the head first or down) · eo impete (in haste, hastily, without deliberation) · ru стремгла́в (with an unrestrained forward motion) · sh bezglavo (in haste, hastily, without deliberation) · ru очертя́ го́лову (in haste, hastily, without deliberation) · de mit dem Kopf zuerst (with the head first or down) · grc ἰταμός (with an unrestrained forward motion) · fi päistikkaa (with an unrestrained forward motion) · de kopfüber (in haste, hastily, without deliberation) · nb hodestups (with the head first or down) · ca amb cap davant (with the head first or down) · mi tūpou (with the head first or down) · pl na oślep (with an unrestrained forward motion) · tr kafa üstü (with the head first or down) · fr la tête la première (with the head first or down) · ga i ndiaidh do chinn (with an unrestrained forward motion) · it a testa in avanti (with the head first or down) · de Hals über Kopf (in haste, hastily, without deliberation) · it a capofitto (in haste, hastily, without deliberation) · pt com a cabeça erguida (with the head first or down) · ru стреми́тельно (with an unrestrained forward motion) · es de cabeza (in haste, hastily, without deliberation) · bg необмислено (in haste, hastily, without deliberation) · af halsoorkop (with an unrestrained forward motion) · ru очертя́ го́лову (with an unrestrained forward motion) · de kopfüber (with an unrestrained forward motion) · srn langalanga (in haste, hastily, without deliberation) · fi päätä pahkaa (with an unrestrained forward motion) · ru голово́й вперёд (with the head first or down) · xag 𐔱𐕒𐕚𐕍𐔰 (in haste, hastily, without deliberation) · no hals over hode (with an unrestrained forward motion) · ang neowol (with the head first or down) · bg прибързано (in haste, hastily, without deliberation) · ga i ndiaidh do chinn (with the head first or down) · ca de cap (with the head first or down) · ru сломя́ го́лову (with an unrestrained forward motion) · sv huvudstupa (with the head first or down) · fi pää edellä (with the head first or down) · ta தலைதெறிக்க (in haste, hastily, without deliberation) · mi patiko (in haste, hastily, without deliberation) · sh naglavačke (with the head first or down) · bg стремително (with an unrestrained forward motion) · la praeceps (with the head first or down) · fi pää kolmantena jalkana (in haste, hastily, without deliberation) · ru сломя́ го́лову (in haste, hastily, without deliberation) · ru опроме́тью (with an unrestrained forward motion) · sh strmoglavce (with an unrestrained forward motion)

headlong en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˈhɛd.lɔŋ/ (General-American)
• /ˈhɛd.lɑŋ/ (cot-caught-merger)
• (US) audio
• /ˈhɛd.lɒŋ/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From Middle English hedlong, alteration of hedling, heedling, hevedlynge (“headlong”), assimilated to long. More at headling.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To precipitate.
   • If a stranger be setting his pace and face toward some deep pit, or steep rock — such a precipice as the cliffs of Dover — how do we cry aloud to have him return ? yet in mean time forget the course of our own sinful ignorance, that headlongs us to confusion. 1862, Thomas Adams, The works of Thomas Adams:
   • Carriages went up and down in endless pageant. Trolley-cars rushed by, clanging and grinding as they headlonged into the side streets. 1905, Liberty Hyde Bailey, The outlook to nature:

Forms