Phrase guide

head over heels

adj · adv · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: hĕd ō'vər hēlz
  • General-American: /ˌhɛd oʊ.vɚ ˈhilz/
  • General-American: /ˌhɛd oʊ.vɚ ˈhi.əlz/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌhɛd əʊ.və ˈhiːlz/
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Hopelessly smitten; madly in love.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adv

Meaning 2

Tumbling upside down; somersaulting.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • She tripped and rolled head over heels down the hill.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: arse over tit, ass over teakettle, base over apex

Antonyms: none provided

3

adv

Meaning 3

At top speed; frantically.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • Hearing the noise in the dark, the children ran head over heels back home.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: full tilt, full throttle, like mad

Antonyms: none provided

4

adv

Meaning 4

Hopelessly; madly; to distraction; deeply; utterly.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: head over ears

Antonyms: none provided

5

adverb

Meaning 5

in disorderly haste

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • we ran head over heels toward the shelter

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: heels over head, topsy-turvy, topsy-turvily, in great confusion

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Attested from the 14th century onwards, originally as heels over head, which better rendered the notion of things being upside down (head over heels is the standard state of being).

Across languages

Translations

78 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: korviaan myöten rakastunut — hopelessly smitten
  • Finnish: päättömänä — hopelessly smitten
  • French: fou amoureux — hopelessly smitten
  • Hungarian: fülig szerelmes — hopelessly smitten
  • Polish: zakochany po uszy — hopelessly smitten
  • Slovak: zaľúbený po uši — hopelessly smitten
  • Slovak: beznádejne zaľúbený — hopelessly smitten
  • Swedish: upp över öronen — hopelessly smitten
  • Bulgarian: през глава (prez glava) — tumbling upside down
  • Catalan: de tomballons — tumbling upside down
  • Dutch: halsoverkop — tumbling upside down
  • Finnish: päistikkaa — tumbling upside down
  • Finnish: suin päin — tumbling upside down
  • French: jambes par-dessus tête — tumbling upside down
  • German: purzelnd — tumbling upside down
  • German: überschlagend — tumbling upside down
  • German: kopfüber — tumbling upside down
  • German: Hals über Kopf — tumbling upside down
  • Italian: gambe all'aria — tumbling upside down
  • Norwegian Bokmål: hodestups — tumbling upside down
  • Polish: do góry nogami — tumbling upside down
  • Portuguese: cabeça pra baixo — tumbling upside down
  • Portuguese: ponta-cabeça — tumbling upside down
  • Russian: вверх нога́ми (vverx nogámi) — tumbling upside down
  • Russian: вверх торма́шками (vverx tormáškami) — tumbling upside down
  • Russian: ку́барем (kúbarem) — tumbling upside down
  • Scottish Gaelic: bun-os-cionn — tumbling upside down
  • Scottish Gaelic: car air char — tumbling upside down
  • Scottish Gaelic: car mu char — tumbling upside down
  • Scottish Gaelic: car a' mhuiltein — tumbling upside down
  • Slovak: hore nohami — tumbling upside down
  • Spanish: cabeza abajo — tumbling upside down
  • Spanish: patas arriba — tumbling upside down
  • Swedish: stå på öronen — tumbling upside down
  • Ukrainian: догори дриґом (dohory drygom) — tumbling upside down
  • Welsh: tin dros ben — tumbling upside down
  • Welsh: dinben drosben — tumbling upside down
  • Welsh: dibyn-dobyn — tumbling upside down
  • Dutch: halsoverkop — at top speed; frantically
  • Finnish: pää kolmantena jalkana — at top speed; frantically
  • German: Hals über Kopf — at top speed; frantically
  • German: wie verrückt — at top speed; frantically
  • German: wie wahnsinnig — at top speed; frantically
  • Hungarian: hanyatt-homlok — at top speed; frantically
  • Italian: a gambe levate — at top speed; frantically
  • Limburgish: halseuverkop — at top speed; frantically
  • Polish: na złamanie karku — at top speed; frantically
  • Polish: na łeb, na szyję — at top speed; frantically
  • Russian: сломя́ го́лову (slomjá gólovu) — at top speed; frantically
  • Russian: очертя́ го́лову (očertjá gólovu) — at top speed; frantically
  • Russian: стремгла́в (stremgláv) — at top speed; frantically
  • Russian: опроме́тью (oprométʹju) — at top speed; frantically
  • Slovak: nohy na plecia — at top speed; frantically
  • Swedish: hals över huvud — at top speed; frantically
  • Ukrainian: стрімголов (strimholov) — at top speed; frantically
  • Dutch: halsoverkop — hopelessly, madly (as in head over heels in love)
  • Finnish: korviaan myöten — hopelessly, madly (as in head over heels in love)
  • Finnish: päättömästi — hopelessly, madly (as in head over heels in love)
  • French: follement — hopelessly, madly (as in head over heels in love)
  • French: éperdument — hopelessly, madly (as in head over heels in love)
  • French: à la folie — hopelessly, madly (as in head over heels in love)
  • French: fou — hopelessly, madly (as in head over heels in love)
  • German: Hals über Kopf — hopelessly, madly (as in head over heels in love)
  • German: (bis) über beide Ohren — hopelessly, madly (as in head over heels in love)
  • Hungarian: fülig — hopelessly, madly (as in head over heels in love)
  • Italian: follemente — hopelessly, madly (as in head over heels in love)
  • Italian: perdutamente — hopelessly, madly (as in head over heels in love)
  • Italian: fuori di testa — hopelessly, madly (as in head over heels in love)
  • Japanese: めろめろ (meromero) — hopelessly, madly (as in head over heels in love)
  • Norwegian Bokmål: hodestups — hopelessly, madly (as in head over heels in love)
  • Polish: po uszy — hopelessly, madly (as in head over heels in love)
  • Slovak: po uši — hopelessly, madly (as in head over heels in love)
  • Slovak: beznádejne — hopelessly, madly (as in head over heels in love)
  • Spanish: perdidamente — hopelessly, madly (as in head over heels in love)
  • Swedish: handlöst — hopelessly, madly (as in head over heels in love)
  • Swedish: upp över öronen — hopelessly, madly (as in head over heels in love)
  • Ukrainian: по вуха (po vuxa) — hopelessly, madly (as in head over heels in love)
  • Ukrainian: по самі вуха (po sami vuxa) — hopelessly, madly (as in head over heels in love)