before the wind

Idioms  

1. Driven ahead, hurried, as in The bikers are moving before the wind, so it's hard to tell who will come in first. The literal meaning of this term is nautical, referring to a ship sailing in the same direction as the wind and being propelled forward. Its figurative use dates from the mid-1800s.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

before the wind

Or that few questioned her Ghana trip when she left on Saturday, before the wind warnings turned completely dire.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 9, 2025

He made three straight birdies after the delay and felt solid the rest of the way, picking up three more birdies on the front nine before the wind got stronger.

From Seattle Times ● May 6, 2022

It was hours before the wind relented, allowing her to finally open her door.

From New York Times ● Sep. 3, 2021

In the moment before the wind shifts, there is time to appreciate that only the one house down the road is on fire.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 21, 2018

Maybe on board the Hispaniola, flying before the wind, mooring by a tropical island with green palms crowding the mountains and bright tropical flowers—real ones—poking out between them.

From "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt