: the lee side
: being in or facing the direction toward which the wind is blowing
also
: being the side opposite the windward
Synonyms
Examples of leeward in a Sentence
Noun
We turned the boat to leeward.
Adjective
the leeward side of the island
we moved to the leeward side of the ship so that we wouldn't have the wind in our faces
Recent Examples on the Web
Robert Thorson, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Nov. 2023
Red flag warnings for gusts around 50 mph are in effect through Monday evening, mostly in leeward areas, including those affected by the deadly Lahaina fire this summer.
—Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 6 Nov. 2023
Maui’s wildfire risks — particularly for communities on the drier, leeward side of the island — were known.
—Denise Chow, NBC News, 16 Aug. 2023
The National Weather Service issued red flag warnings to the leeward sides of all the islands, which means there's a danger of wildfires spreading.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY, 31 Aug. 2023
The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for the leeward portions of all Hawaiian Islands.
—Kevin Shalvey, ABC News, 9 Aug. 2023
The leeward — dry — side of Maui is no stranger to dangerous weather conditions for fire.
—Evan Bush, NBC News, 17 Aug. 2023
The warning is for leeward areas, meaning land that faces away from the wind usually sheltered by hills and mountains, due to strong winds and low humidity, the agency in Honolulu said in a morning advisory.
—NBC News, 9 Aug. 2023
The National Weather Service issued an ashfall advisory for depositing ash and debris, as well as light accumulation of ash on vessels, until 6 a.m. along the Alenuihaha Channel, Big Island windward waters, Big Island leeward waters and Big Island southeast waters.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 28 Nov. 2022
Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 12 Feb. 2022
The different wind directions bring lake effect snow to different towns on the leeward side of the lakes.
—Dave Epstein, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Nov. 2022
The trees slow the velocity of the snow, which settles on the leeward side of the trunks, forming drifts 20 feet deep.
—Mark Jenkins, Outside Online, 14 Feb. 2022
While most people think of Hawaii as a tropical place, the leeward side of the island is drier, and Hawaii has a year-round fire season, Walker explained.
—Brisa Colon and Aya Elamroussi, CNN, 7 Aug. 2021
Further north, on the off-the-grid Cayo Frances, learn to fish from legendary fly fisherwoman Lori-Ann Murphy, and enjoy the placid, shallow waters of the leeward side of the island.
—Ali Wunderman, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Jan. 2020
This means that the leeward side of these landforms is usually drier and often protected from the high wind.
—Tim MacWelch, Outdoor Life, 16 Jan. 2020
Hurricane Dorian is set to hit Puerto Rico’s leeward side later today, aiming to bring heavy rains and wind to the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Maria in 2017.
—Ellen McGirt, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2019
What that means is that for a steel structure, the leeward side of the back shell does not need any heat shielding.
—Ryan D'agostino, Popular Mechanics, 22 Jan. 2019
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Noun
Such ecological effects extend well beyond individual walls, because opposite sites are sunny and shaded, windward and leeward, and upslope and downslope.
—Robert Thorson, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Nov. 2023
Red flag warnings for gusts around 50 mph are in effect through Monday evening, mostly in leeward areas, including those affected by the deadly Lahaina fire this summer.
—Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 6 Nov. 2023
Maui’s wildfire risks — particularly for communities on the drier, leeward side of the island — were known.
—Denise Chow, NBC News, 16 Aug. 2023
The National Weather Service issued red flag warnings to the leeward sides of all the islands, which means there's a danger of wildfires spreading.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY, 31 Aug. 2023
The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for the leeward portions of all Hawaiian Islands.
—Kevin Shalvey, ABC News, 9 Aug. 2023
The leeward — dry — side of Maui is no stranger to dangerous weather conditions for fire.
—Evan Bush, NBC News, 17 Aug. 2023
The warning is for leeward areas, meaning land that faces away from the wind usually sheltered by hills and mountains, due to strong winds and low humidity, the agency in Honolulu said in a morning advisory.
—NBC News, 9 Aug. 2023
The National Weather Service issued an ashfall advisory for depositing ash and debris, as well as light accumulation of ash on vessels, until 6 a.m. along the Alenuihaha Channel, Big Island windward waters, Big Island leeward waters and Big Island southeast waters.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 28 Nov. 2022
Adjective
And to make things worse, the loss of clouds on the leeward side of the mountains can lead to sunnier conditions, heating things up even more, Datta says.
—Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 12 Feb. 2022
The different wind directions bring lake effect snow to different towns on the leeward side of the lakes.
—Dave Epstein, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Nov. 2022
The trees slow the velocity of the snow, which settles on the leeward side of the trunks, forming drifts 20 feet deep.
—Mark Jenkins, Outside Online, 14 Feb. 2022
While most people think of Hawaii as a tropical place, the leeward side of the island is drier, and Hawaii has a year-round fire season, Walker explained.
—Brisa Colon and Aya Elamroussi, CNN, 7 Aug. 2021
Further north, on the off-the-grid Cayo Frances, learn to fish from legendary fly fisherwoman Lori-Ann Murphy, and enjoy the placid, shallow waters of the leeward side of the island.
—Ali Wunderman, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Jan. 2020
This means that the leeward side of these landforms is usually drier and often protected from the high wind.
—Tim MacWelch, Outdoor Life, 16 Jan. 2020
Hurricane Dorian is set to hit Puerto Rico’s leeward side later today, aiming to bring heavy rains and wind to the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Maria in 2017.
—Ellen McGirt, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2019
What that means is that for a steel structure, the leeward side of the back shell does not need any heat shielding.
—Ryan D'agostino, Popular Mechanics, 22 Jan. 2019
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'leeward.' 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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Dictionary Entries Near leeward
Cite this Entry
“Leeward.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leeward. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023.
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