1
: an allowable margin of freedom or variation : tolerance
The new rules allow managers greater leeway in making decisions.
2
a
: off-course lateral movement of a ship when underway
The sailboat's centerboard helps to reduce leeway.
b
: the angle between the heading and the track of an airplane
Examples of leeway in a Sentence
They give their students leeway to try new things.
you will be given some leeway in choosing how to carry out the project
Recent Examples on the Web
Lawyers representing each side say the court's decision would impact a large chunk of the country's unsheltered homeless population, either protecting them from criminalization or giving local authorities more leeway to permanently prevent sleeping in public.
—
Claire Thornton, USA TODAY, 17 Apr. 2024
The rules tend to give public officials more leeway to choose a company based on favoritism.
—Irene Casado Sanchez, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2024
Despite the vote, city officials could soon gain more leeway to clear encampments.
—Calmatters, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024
As chair of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., which reviews foreign ownership of firms in the U.S., Yellen has ample leeway to determine how the company could remain operating in the U.S.
—Zeke Miller, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2024
And while setting up on private land may provide more leeway to create unique experiences than national parks, there's still a lot of factors to consider.
—Todd Plummer, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Apr. 2024
The First Amendment gives everyone leeway to say many crazy, awful, violent things but not to do most of them.
—Sarah Larson, The New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2024
That leeway is what's keeping the government together for the moment, said Tzippy Yarom-Diskind, a correspondent for the Haredi newspaper Mishpacha.
—Loveday Morris The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 30 Mar. 2024
That leeway is what’s keeping the government together for the moment, said Tzippy Yarom-Diskind, a correspondent for the Haredi newspaper Mishpacha.
—Loveday Morris, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
Claire Thornton, USA TODAY, 17 Apr. 2024
The rules tend to give public officials more leeway to choose a company based on favoritism.
—Irene Casado Sanchez, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2024
Despite the vote, city officials could soon gain more leeway to clear encampments.
—Calmatters, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024
As chair of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., which reviews foreign ownership of firms in the U.S., Yellen has ample leeway to determine how the company could remain operating in the U.S.
—Zeke Miller, Fortune, 3 Apr. 2024
And while setting up on private land may provide more leeway to create unique experiences than national parks, there's still a lot of factors to consider.
—Todd Plummer, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Apr. 2024
The First Amendment gives everyone leeway to say many crazy, awful, violent things but not to do most of them.
—Sarah Larson, The New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2024
That leeway is what's keeping the government together for the moment, said Tzippy Yarom-Diskind, a correspondent for the Haredi newspaper Mishpacha.
—Loveday Morris The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 30 Mar. 2024
That leeway is what’s keeping the government together for the moment, said Tzippy Yarom-Diskind, a correspondent for the Haredi newspaper Mishpacha.
—Loveday Morris, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'leeway.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Leeway.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leeway. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
leeway
noun
lee·way
ˈlē-ˌwā 
1
: sideways movement of a ship when under way
2
: an extra amount (as of room or time) that allows some freedom or variation
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