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head-on. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
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English
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
Adjective
head-on (not comparable)
- (idiomatic) Direct, abrupt, blunt or unequivocal; not prevaricating.
- a head-on approach to a problem
- Of a collision, from the front or in the direction of motion.
Getting into a head-on collision is dangerous.
2021 February 24, Greg Morse, “Great Heck: a tragic chain of events”, in RAIL, number 925, page 39: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.
Usage notes
- The adjective is also head on, especially when appearing after the verb, and thus an adverb, as in:
- She likes to tackle problems head on.
Derived terms
Translations
Adverb
head-on (not comparable)
- With the front of a vehicle.
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, 3.1.2: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 manner in which the tanker is moored.
- With direct confrontation.
1961 January, “Talking of Trains: Flooding at Lewes”, in Trains Illustrated, page 5: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 up from the coast.
2022 October 13, Gina Kolata, “‘Kind of Awkward’: Doctors Find Themselves on a First-Name Basis”, in The New York Times: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.
Noun
head-on (plural head-ons)
- A collision from the front.
- He was injured in a head-on with a larger vehicle.
Translations
References