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before the wind

Idioms

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.

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.

On July 10, the day before the wind changed, the fire had been burning sleepily for a week without any apparent cause for alarm.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 24, 2025

Open qualifying, posted his 68 in the morning before the wind and the temperatures picked up.

From Washington Times • Jun. 1, 2023

McPherson got another chance with a 49-yarder and was celebrating with holder Kevin Huber before the wind pulled it just left of the upright flag.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 10, 2021

“It’s like I used to be on solid ground,” he says before the wind blows him away.

From Washington Post • Feb. 7, 2021

I had seen the tire tracks leading to the road before the wind came and scattered the last trace of Vonetta.

From "Gone Crazy in Alabama" by Rita Williams-Garcia

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023