leeway
Americannoun
-
extra time, space, materials, or the like, within which to operate; margin.
With ten minutes' leeway we can catch the train.
-
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.
-
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
-
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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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.
Bellingham was given leeway to skip tournament media duties, certainly with the English press, that other players had to undertake, all while filming his own multi-part documentary.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
He is also rightly praised for recognizing that the 1990s productivity boom gave the Fed leeway not to raise interest rates amid faster economic growth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
We’ve thought about a lot of different models to try to optimize the earnings for our artists in general, but we don’t have much leeway in the model.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
With subsidies, they have more financial leeway to invest in new production sites, more time to reach profitability and greater support against economic headwinds, according to the report.
From Barron's ● Jun. 1, 2026
Some trainers trimmed that leeway down to just a half pound.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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.
