tailwind

noun

tail·​wind ˈtāl-ˌwind 

plural tailwinds

1

: a wind having the same general direction as a course of movement (as of an aircraft)

2

: a force or influence that advances progress toward an improved condition

… the strengthening housing market should be providing tailwinds for home improvement retailers.

—Katherine Peralta

Medicare reform is a thorny problem even when the political tailwinds are favorable.

—Russ Wiles

Examples of tailwind in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Silver, meanwhile, has been riding some of the same tailwinds, with the price of silver also breaking numerous records recently, but for very different reasons — many of which go beyond safe-haven demand. —Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026

In other words, 2026 is about the tailwind from the 2025 whirlwind. —Abby McCloskey, Twin Cities, 8 Jan. 2026

But looking ahead, abating tariff uncertainty and the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act are anticipated to offer a tailwind to capital expenditures this year. —Reade Pickert Bloomberg, Arkansas Online, 6 Jan. 2026

That’s a tailwind that’s very much in Vancouver’s favour in selling Sherwood. —Thomas Drance, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1897, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for tailwind

• chagrined
• crosswind
• downwind
• rescind
• upwind
• whirlwind
• woodwind
• finned
• ginned
• grinned
• pinned
• sinned

Kids Definition

tail wind

noun

: a wind having the same general direction as the course of a moving object (as an aircraft)