headwind

noun

head·​wind ˈhed-ˌwind 

plural headwinds

1

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

2

: a force or influence that inhibits progress

Power-plant construction is facing headwinds in the U.S. as renewable energy projects and slack demand throw the economics of new generators into question.

—Thomas Black

For generations, the tribe has been leaning into cultural headwinds to preserve a language on the brink of extinction.

—Kevin Simpson

The plan faces political headwinds from both sides of the aisle …

—Heidi M. Przybyla

Examples of headwind in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Republican state legislators have undertaken a rare mid-decade redistricting at the behest of President Donald Trump, who is seeking to improve his party's odds of preserving its narrow U.S. House of Representatives majority despite political headwinds. —Joseph Ax, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2025

Despite the headwinds, Beijing has kept its official growth target at around 5% for the year — a goal Premier Li reiterated this week. —Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 20 Aug. 2025

The Role Of Tariffs: A New Challenge On The Horizon As if Target’s challenges weren’t enough, the company now faces a new potential headwind: tariffs. —Doug Melville, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025

Recent Chinese investment initiatives have increasingly met with headwinds in Arctic countries except for Russia. —Barry Scott Zellen, Hartford Courant, 18 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1709, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for headwind

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

Kids Definition

headwind

noun

head·​wind -ˌwind 

: a wind blowing in a direction opposite to a course of movement (as of a ship or aircraft)