headwind

noun

head·wind | \ ˈhed-ˌwind

plural headwinds

Definition of headwind

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

The first Osprey rolled out of Bell’s Flight Research Center in Arlington, Texas on May 23, 1988, and the V-22 program immediately ran into strong headwinds. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "V-22 Osprey: The Story of the Revolutionary Tiltrotor Aircraft," 8 Feb. 2019 Beyond Brexit, the auto industry is facing strong headwinds. — Danica Kirka, The Seattle Times, "Honda to shut plant in Brexit-shaken Britain," 20 Feb. 2019 The company is still facing significant headwinds, including new reports about whether its autonomous technology is actually up to snuff. — Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, "The Verge 2018 tech report card: Uber," 29 Dec. 2018 The country's efforts to connect its bond market, the world's third-biggest, with the international financial system are hitting dual headwinds: a rise in global borrowing costs and the country's own campaign to reduce financial leverage. — Bloomberg.com, "Bloomberg’s Week in Pictures," 14 June 2018 For most companies, one product facing growth headwinds wouldn't be a concern. — Mark Gurman, chicagotribune.com, "Apple results to show iPhone X problem and plan to fix it," 1 May 2018 So that all looks, at least to my untrained eye, like a headwind. — Elizabeth Lopatto, The Verge, "This Week in Elon," 24 Aug. 2018 Before the revelations about his writings, Das was facing other headwinds as one of 10 Democrats running for the nomination to replace retiring US Representative Niki Tsongas. — Matt Stout, BostonGlobe.com, "In college writings, Third District candidate Beej Das compared minority organizations to Nazis," 9 June 2018 With the headwind, the gas came back to the peloton. — Samuel Petrequin, The Seattle Times, "Tour riders sprayed with tear gas amid protest by farmers," 24 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'headwind.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.