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

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

From Washington Times • Jun. 1, 2023

On a good day, even a distance runner’s legs wobble and fail long before the wind does.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 7, 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 was hours before the wind relented, allowing her to finally open her door.

From New York Times • Sep. 3, 2021

Half heaven was pure and stainless: the clouds, now trooping before the wind, which had shifted to the west, were filing off eastward in long, silvered columns.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë