headway

¹ American  

[hed-wey] / ˈhɛdˌweɪ /

noun

1. forward movement; progress in a forward direction.

   The ship's headway was slowed by the storm.

2. progress in general.

   headway in a career.

3. rate of progress.

   a slight headway against concerted opposition.

4. the time interval or distance between two vehicles, as automobiles, ships, or railroad or subway cars, traveling in the same direction over the same route.

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idioms

1. make headway, to proceed forward; advance; progress.

headway ² American  

[hed-wey] / ˈhɛdˌweɪ /

noun

1. headroom.

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headway British  

/ ˈhɛdˌweɪ /

noun

1. motion in a forward direction

   the vessel made no headway

2. progress or rate of progress

   he made no headway with the problem

3. another name for headroom

4. the distance or time between consecutive trains, buses, etc, on the same route

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headway More Idioms  

1. see make headway.

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Etymology

Origin of headway¹

First recorded in 1700–10; (a)head + way ¹

Origin of headway²

First recorded in 1700–10; head + way ¹

Explanation

Headway is what you achieve when you move forward or make progress. When you're rowing a boat on a very windy day, it can be hard to make any headway. You can literally make headway, as when you move forward, fighting your way through an enormous crowd at a shopping mall or rock concert — and you can also make a more metaphorical kind of headway: "I have been trying to write this novel for three years, but I'm just not making any headway." The word meant "the main road" in the 14th and 15th centuries, and came to mean "motion forward" in the 1740s.

Example Sentences

However, Luke Griggs, chief executive of brain injury charity Headway, said he is "hugely concerned" about its rise and the "glamourisation of a sport that's going to be taken out into the streets".

From BBC • Feb. 20, 2026

Gareth Williams, defending, said his client was of previous "exemplary character" and had worked for charities, including raising money for Headway Cardiff in 2020 after the charity helped her during recovery from a brain aneurysm.

From BBC • Aug. 5, 2024

The couple had attended the party with staff and service users of brain injury charity Headway, where 24-year-old Mr Watson was a support worker.

From BBC • Feb. 2, 2024

Matt Thompson is the editor of Headway, an initiative from The Times exploring the world’s challenges through the lens of progress.

From New York Times • Sep. 23, 2023

Mrs. Headway, quickly conscious of what p. 184had happened, was neither too prompt to appropriate the visit nor too slow to acknowledge it. 

From Lady Barbarina The Siege of London, An International Episode and Other Tales by James, Henry

Related Words

• advancement