What does “headlong” mean?
- 1
adverbwith the head first
He tripped and fell headlong into the pool.
- 2
adverbquickly and without thinking carefully
Don’t rush headlong into marriage.
- 3
adjectivedone very quickly and without control
The army made a headlong retreat.
Headlong at a glance
- Part of speech
- adverb & adjective
- CEFR level
- C2 (proficient)
- Pronunciation
- /ˈhɛdˌlɔŋ/ · HED-lawng
How to use “headlong” correctly
Usually used with verbs of movement: rush, plunge, fall, dive.
Common phrases with “headlong”
- rush headlong into
- fall headlong
- a headlong rush
Synonyms, opposites and related words
Synonyms (similar meaning)
- headfirst
- hastily
- recklessly
“headlong” is on these word lists
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