leeway

[ lee-wey ]
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noun
  1. extra time, space, materials, or the like, within which to operate; margin: With ten minutes' leeway we can catch the train.

  2. a degree of freedom of action or thought: His instructions gave us plenty of leeway.

  1. Also called sag. Nautical. the amount or angle of the drift of a ship to leeward from its heading.

  2. Aeronautics. the amount a plane is blown off its normal course by cross winds.

Origin of leeway

1
First recorded in 1660–70; lee + way1

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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

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British Dictionary definitions for leeway

leeway

/ (ˈliːˌweɪ) /


noun
  1. room for free movement within limits, as in action or expenditure

  2. sideways drift of a boat or aircraft

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