leeway
Americannoun
-
leeways
plural
-
extra time, space, materials, or the like, within which to operate; margin.
With ten minutes' leeway we can catch the train.
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a degree of freedom of action or thought.
His instructions gave us plenty of leeway.
- Synonyms:
- cushion, flexibility, latitude
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Also called sag. Nautical. the amount or angle of the drift of a ship to leeward from its heading.
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Aeronautics. the amount a plane is blown off its normal course by cross winds.
noun
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room for free movement within limits, as in action or expenditure
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sideways drift of a boat or aircraft
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of leeway
Explanation
Leeway is a term used to describe the amount of freedom available. If you know you have a paper due on Monday, you might ask your teachers if there is any leeway––could you, say, bring it first thing Tuesday morning? Leeway is a nautical term, referring to a vessel's drift to the lee, (nautical for "downwind"). Now, it is very useful in describing those gray areas in life––for example, everyone has a ten-minute leeway when meeting friends where you're not officially late, even if you're not actually on time.
Vocabulary lists containing leeway
Dear Martin
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Ghost Squad
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A Long Way Home
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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.
It resonates in part because pregnant women are routinely handed absolutes with little explanation and expected to comply, so permission to have a little leeway is a welcome relief.
From Slate ● Aug. 27, 2026
To be sure, there is reason to allow for a bit of leeway here.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 16, 2026
Whether he uses that leeway to experiment tactically and bring in new faces remains to be seen.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Your age, the size of your residence and the number of people living there should all factor in, she theorizes, with some extra leeway for those working in or adjacent to the book trade.
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026
Jus: Man, I’m sick of y'all acting like you got all this leeway.
From "Dear Martin" by Nic Stone
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.
