Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

keep one's head on a swivel

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.97 in modern English

Syllables: keep- one's -head- on a swiv-el
IPA

37

Scrabble Score

21

Letters

5

Syllables

13

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To be on the alert, to be watchful.

Intransitive verb

Example Sentences

"Near-synonyms: keep an eye out, keep one's eyes open"
"You all kept your head on a swivel and that's what you gotta do when you find yourself in a vicious cock fight."
"Head on a swivel, opposition like a block away"
""Reentering is about keeping your head on a swivel. Ya gotta keep your head on a swivel, I'm telling ya, because you don't know what's coming, where it's coming from.""

Usage

Intransitive verb

Inflected Forms

keeps one's head on a swivel (present, singular) keeping one's head on a swivel (participle, present) kept one's head on a swivel (participle, past) kept one's head on a swivel (past)

Frequently Paired Words

hypervigilance hypervigilant

Synonyms

keep an eye out keep one's eyes open

Questions

What does keep one's head on a swivel mean?: To be on the alert, to be watchful.

How to pronounce keep one's head on a swivel

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