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.
But during President Trump’s second term, the company has again made headway on its plans.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
At first, Baron showed his trademark skepticism and turned down the opportunity, concerned it would be hard for Tesla to make headway.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 27, 2026
The challengers say Hernandez has failed to making meaningful headway on homeless encampments in Chinatown, Lincoln Heights and other parts of the district.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
Anthropic appears to be making headway among U.S. users against OpenAI.
From Barron's ● Apr. 30, 2026
But the little vessel had no more headway than a cork.
From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman
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.
