: a message that alerts or prepares : warning
gave him a heads-up that an investigation was pending
: showing or requiring keen awareness and swift action
heads-up football
a heads-up player
Alex Rodriguez's heads-up play helped give Seattle the upper hand in a 3-2 victory Saturday against Baltimore.—
Chuck Johnson
Chuck Johnson
—used as a warning to look out for danger especially overhead or to clear a passageway
Synonyms
Examples of heads-up in a Sentence
Noun
thanks for the heads-up about the upcoming visit from the corporate big shots
Recent Examples on the Web
Simon Hill, WIRED, 29 Jan. 2025
The lanyard is meant to give cabin crew and ground service personnel a subtle heads-up that the passenger may require additional support during their travels.
—Bailey Berg, AFAR Media, 28 Jan. 2025
Glenn Graham, Baltimore Sun, 3 Mar. 2023
The heads-up play allowed quarterback Max Duggan an extra second to make the pass to Quentin Johnston, who scored a 76-yard touchdown.
—Dallas News, 2 Mar. 2023
See all Example Sentences for heads-up 
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Noun
These often have displays or projectors to create a screen only the wearer can see, a series of floating windows, or a kind of heads-up display (HUD) layered on top of reality.
—Simon Hill, WIRED, 29 Jan. 2025
The lanyard is meant to give cabin crew and ground service personnel a subtle heads-up that the passenger may require additional support during their travels.
—Bailey Berg, AFAR Media, 28 Jan. 2025
Adjective
With Spalding still trailing by two with one minute left, Lamothe helped make the difference with a heads-up play.
—Glenn Graham, Baltimore Sun, 3 Mar. 2023
The heads-up play allowed quarterback Max Duggan an extra second to make the pass to Quentin Johnston, who scored a 76-yard touchdown.
—Dallas News, 2 Mar. 2023
See all Example Sentences for heads-up
Dictionary Entries Near heads-up
Cite this Entry
“Heads-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heads-up. Accessed 6 Feb. 2025.
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