headway

noun

head·​way ˈhed-ˌwā 

1

a

: motion or rate of motion in a forward direction

b

: advance, progress

gradually making some headway on the project

2

: headroom (as under an arch) sufficient to allow passage

3

: the time interval between two vehicles traveling in the same direction on the same route

Synonyms of headway

• progress
• advance
• process
• advancement
• progression
• procession

Examples of headway in a Sentence

the ant was making little headway carrying a crumb that was about five times his size

Recent Examples on the Web

During a brief break from touring at the beginning of March, Colonel wrote to Tom Diskin, clearly disheartened by his inability to make any headway with Neal. —CBS News, 7 Dec. 2025

The former Oregon State head coach failed to make any headway in building the Spartans into a contender, going 9-15 in his two years in East Lansing. —The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 1 Dec. 2025

Braidwood admits there were also business headways, which in many ways, were affected by the safety concerns and AI unknowns. —Sage Lazzaro, Fortune, 28 Nov. 2025

While America has been obsessing over Jeffrey Epstein, Vladimir Putin has been making dangerous headway in Ukraine — and expanding his war into Europe. —Trudy Rubin, Twin Cities, 23 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1730, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing headway

• make headway

Rhymes for headway

• airway
• allay
• archway
• array
• ashtray
• astray
• aue
• away
• ballet
• belay
• beltway
• beret

Kids Definition

headway

noun

head·​way -ˌwā 

1

: motion forward

2

: progress entry 1 sense 2