leeway
Americannoun
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extra time, space, materials, or the like, within which to operate; margin.
With ten minutes' leeway we can catch the train.
-
a degree of freedom of action or thought.
His instructions gave us plenty of leeway.
- Synonyms:
- cushion, flexibility, latitude
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Also called sag. Nautical. the amount or angle of the drift of a ship to leeward from its heading.
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Aeronautics. the amount a plane is blown off its normal course by cross winds.
noun
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room for free movement within limits, as in action or expenditure
-
sideways drift of a boat or aircraft
Etymology
Origin of leeway
Explanation
Leeway is a term used to describe the amount of freedom available. If you know you have a paper due on Monday, you might ask your teachers if there is any leeway––could you, say, bring it first thing Tuesday morning? Leeway is a nautical term, referring to a vessel's drift to the lee, (nautical for "downwind"). Now, it is very useful in describing those gray areas in life––for example, everyone has a ten-minute leeway when meeting friends where you're not officially late, even if you're not actually on time.
Vocabulary lists containing leeway
Dear Martin
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“As a parent of a 3-year-old and a 6-month-old, I’d been consistent about demonstrating the concept of trading,” said Cody Ward, a certified financial planner with Leeway Planning.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 10, 2025
The band had various line-up changes over the years but they were best known as the mid-80s trio consisting of Tom Bailey, Alannah Currie and Joe Leeway.
From BBC • Apr. 24, 2017
While they did briefly reunite with Leeway on a Channel 4 show in 2001, they have so far resisted the urge to go down the nostalgia road and reform.
From BBC • Apr. 24, 2017
I would say the first big record that was a huge influence on the band in the early days was the second Leeway record, Desperate Measures.
From The Guardian • Feb. 21, 2017
Leeway on the port tack is the same as easterly Variation.
From Lectures in Navigation by Draper, Ernest Gallaudet
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
