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
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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.
The government held two rounds of talks with CJP leaders on Monday and Friday but little headway was made initially, with the youth-led movement sticking to their demands.
From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026
Firms like ANTA, the organisers of Irving's Chengdu fan meet last week, have upped their international profile in recent years, building upon their success at home to make headway overseas.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
Yet before he could finally make headway, he suffered a devastating loss.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
As Epstein tried to make headway with Gates, he struggled with the Microsoft co-founder’s wife, who—after one evening at the Manhattan townhouse—said she never wanted to see him again.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
“Who is making the best headway any producer could possibly make with a writer who is—” started Mr. Gregory.
From "Okay for Now" by Gary D. Schmidt
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.
