headway
1 Americannoun
-
forward movement; progress in a forward direction.
The ship's headway was slowed by the storm.
-
progress in general.
headway in a career.
-
rate of progress.
a slight headway against concerted opposition.
-
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.
idioms
noun
noun
-
motion in a forward direction
the vessel made no headway
-
progress or rate of progress
he made no headway with the problem
-
another name for headroom
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the distance or time between consecutive trains, buses, etc, on the same route
Etymology
Origin of headway1
First recorded in 1700–10; (a)head + way 1
Origin of headway2
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.
Vocabulary lists containing headway
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for Middle School Students, List 1
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The Freedom Writers Diary
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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.
A month ago, I highlighted the fragility in the financial sector, arguing that the broader market would struggle to make meaningful headway without its participation.
From Barron's • Feb. 24, 2026
Her remarks came a day after Iran and the US said they had made headway in talks taking place in Geneva about Tehran's nuclear programme.
From BBC • Feb. 18, 2026
District efforts to measure the fourth goal — social emotional learning — made little headway over the last three years.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 15, 2026
Gautam Adani denies the charges and the prosecution has made little headway under the Trump administration.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026
She told him how Anat had vanished before they’d been able to make any headway with the dybbuk, save the warning.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
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.
