headwind

[ hed-wind ]

/ ˈhɛdˌwɪnd /

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noun

a wind opposed to the course of a moving object, especially an aircraft or other vehicle (opposed to tailwind).

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Origin of headwind

First recorded in 1780–90; (a)head + wind¹

Words nearby headwind

headward, headwards, headwaters, headway, headwear, headwind, headword, headwork, heady, heal, heal-all

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use headwind in a sentence

McCauley, though, professes not to worry about regulatory headwinds.
In a first for the crypto industry, Visa-backed Anchorage gets a federal bank charter|Jeff Roberts|January 13, 2021|Fortune
Despite remaining headwinds, the future is looking up for most cannabis businesses, according to these investors.
These 5 VCs have high hopes for cannabis in 2021|Matt Burns|January 12, 2021|TechCrunch
And, reflation, in general, is a headwind for growth stocks.
As an impeachment vote gains momentum, the markets tick higher|Bernhard Warner|January 12, 2021|Fortune
He lowered the plane out of the speedy headwinds, hoping to save some fuel.
A CIA spyplane crashed outside Area 51 a half-century ago. This explorer found it.|Sarah Scoles|January 5, 2021|Popular-Science

Under no scenario was the effort ever going to be conducted without headwinds.
In the COVID vaccine rollout, our expectations don’t match reality|matthewheimer|January 4, 2021|Fortune
But we do not live in that world, and that is a headwind pushing against currents of balance, growth, and repair.
Why Markets Freak Out|Zachary Karabell|August 12, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Webb—or any Virginia Democrat—would be running into quite a headwind in 2012.
Why the Dems Could Lose the Senate Next|Samuel P. Jacobs|November 16, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Ascending steadily against a continuous headwind, we picked up the second sledge at midday on the 28th.
The Home of the Blizzard|Douglas Mawson
Travelling between the cataracts against a strong headwind was slow work and we longed for the next one to get along faster.
Our Caughnawagas in Egypt|Louis Jackson
The men at the oars now made hard work of it against the headwind and the running sea.
Frontier Boys on the Coast|Capt. Wyn Roosevelt
Next morning we set out, slowly floating with a little headwind, through a fog.
The houseboat book|William F. Waugh
With a cold headwind on the starboard quarter, we hug the lee of the Ohio shore.
Afloat on the Ohio|Reuben Gold Thwaites

British Dictionary definitions for headwind

headwind

/ (ˈhɛdˌwɪnd) /

noun

a wind blowing directly against the course of an aircraft or shipCompare tailwind

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for headwind

headwind

head wind

(hĕd′wĭnd′)

A wind blowing directly against the course of a moving object, especially an aircraft or ship.