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# headfirst

adverb (headfirst; also head first, head-first); adjective (a headfirst dive)

«headfirst» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. With your head going in front of the rest of your body. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/headfirst/#m1)
2. Without stopping to think first; too quickly («rush headfirst into something»). [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/headfirst/#m2)

### In the lessons

In swimming and water safety it is very important: never dive headfirst into shallow or unknown water, because you can hit the bottom and break your neck. In stories it shows speed or rashness: «fell headfirst», «slid headfirst», «jumped headfirst into the plan».

### Examples

- He slid headfirst down the slide. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/headfirst/#x1)
- Never dive headfirst into a pool if you do not know how deep it is. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/headfirst/#x2)
- The cat fell headfirst into the laundry basket. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/headfirst/#x3)
- She ran headfirst into the adventure without a plan. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/headfirst/#x4)
- The baseball player slid headfirst into the base. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/headfirst/#x5)
- The diver went in headfirst with a neat splash. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/headfirst/#x6)
- She plunged headfirst into the hole, and slid down the shaft after her baby. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/headfirst/#x7)

### Note

Can be written as one word, two words or with a hyphen. It is an adverb («fell headfirst»), not «headfirstly». Opposite direction: «feet first». The second meaning is about acting without thinking, like «rush in».

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «headfirst» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/headfirst/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«headfirst» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/headfirst.html) on Mova free.