head-on

UK/ˈhɛd ˌɒn/

More pronunciations (1)Fewer pronunciations

British/ˈhɛd ˌɔn/

head-on adjective: direct, abrupt, blunt or unequivocal; not prevaricating; uncompromising.

Adjective

head-on (not comparable)

(idiomatic) Direct, abrupt, blunt or unequivocal; not prevaricating; uncompromising
- a head-on approach to a problem
- In what way do we benefit from speaking of things indirectly? How does such a distancing allow us to better discover - and describe - people and objects? How does distancing produce an effect? Westerners find it natural and normal to meet the world head-on. But what can we gain from approaching the...2000 [1995], François Jullien, “Preface”, in Sophie Hawkes, transl., Detour and Access: Strategies of Meaning in China and Greece [Le Détour et l'accès: Stratégies du sens en Chine, en Grèce], New...
Of a collision, from the front or in the direction of motion.
- Getting into a head-on collision is dangerous.
- This secondary collision, head-on with a closing speed of 142mph, caused the DVT to veer off to the left. Many of the coaches behind it overturned and careered into an adjacent field.2021 February 24, Greg Morse, “Great Heck: a tragic chain of events”, in RAIL, number 925, page 39

head-on (not comparable)

With the front of a vehicle.
- Wave direction and frequency (period) are two factors that influence the effect of waves on a moored ship. Whether the ship responds by surging, swaying or yawing will depend on whether the waves are striking the moored vessel head-on, beam-on or quartering, the frequency of the waves and the...2015, Duncan Bruce, Tanker Jetty Safety – Management of the Ship/Shore Interface (1st 2015 ed; second ed. January 2022), 1st edition, Witherby Seamanship International, →ISBN, archived from the...
With direct confrontation.
- During the day conditions worsened quickly—for example, a 2-6-0 on the Uckfield line suddenly encountered flood water high enough to enter its ashpan and extinguish its fire—until lock gates up-river at Barcombe gave way and a tidal wave rolled down the valley meeting head-on a spring tide rolling...1961 January, “Talking of Trains: Flooding at Lewes”, in Trains Illustrated, page 5
- And there is little research to address the issue head on. A previous study, published in 2000, surveyed doctors and found that three quarters of them said some patients addressed them by their first name.2022 October 13, Gina Kolata, “‘Kind of Awkward’: Doctors Find Themselves on a First-Name Basis”, in The New York Times

head-on (plural head-ons)

A collision from the front.
- He was injured in a head-on with a larger vehicle.

தலை நேரே சென்று மோதும்படி, தலைநேராக உள்ள நிலையில்

നേർക്കുനേർ, എതിരിട്ട്, നേർക്കുനേർ ഇടിച്ചുകൊണ്ട്

ಇದುರುಬದಿರಾಗಿ

What does head-on mean?: Head-on means direct, abrupt, blunt or unequivocal; not prevaricating; uncompromising.
What is head-on in Tamil?: Head-on in Tamil is தலை நேரே சென்று மோதும்படி, தலைநேராக உள்ள நிலையில். See Head-on meaning in Tamil.
What part of speech is head-on?: Head-on can be an adjective, an adverb or a noun.
How do you pronounce head-on?: Head-on is pronounced /ˈhɛd ˌɒn/ (UK).

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-au-head-on.ogg.

Cite this entry: “head-on.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/head-on. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.