leeway

noun lee·way \ ˈlē-ˌwā \

|Updated on: 20 Aug 2018

Examples: leeway in a Sentence

Definition of leeway

1 a : off-course lateral movement of a ship when underway

The sailboat's centerboard helps to reduce leeway.

b : the angle between the heading and the track of an airplane

2 : an allowable margin of freedom or variation : tolerance

The new rules allow managers greater leeway in making decisions.

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Examples of leeway in a Sentence

They give their students leeway to try new things.
you will be given some leeway in choosing how to carry out the project

Recent Examples of leeway from the Web

The government gives parents wide leeway to make choices about their children’s health, diets and religious practices.

— bobby jindal, WSJ, "The Moral Logic of School Choice," 25 June 2018
The proposal, included in a draft summit statement, is intended to deter perilous journeys across the Mediterranean, provide for rapid processing to weed out economic migrants and allow greater leeway in determining their final destinations.

— Fortune, "Why European Tension Is Rising Over Migrants (Again)," 23 June 2018
The proposal, included in a draft summit statement, is intended to deter perilous journeys across the Mediterranean, provide for rapid processing to weed out economic migrants and allow greater leeway in determining their final destinations.

— alessandro giovanni borghese, Bloomberg.com, "Why European Tension Is Rising Over Migrants (Again)," 22 June 2018
In Saudi Arabia, the rulers gave Wahhabi clerics leeway to impose social norms and in return received religious legitimacy for their rule.

— The Economist, "From pearls to black goldHow oil transformed the Gulf," 21 June 2018
But when the attorney-client relationship is about routine business matters like reviewing contracts, there's more leeway.

— joyce m. rosenberg, USA TODAY, "Hard to do: Businesses may need to break up with slow-paying, irritating customers," 2 July 2018
Some government officials bitterly opposed the terms, but there was no leeway, according to officials involved in the negotiations.

— maria abi-habib, New York Times, "How China Got Sri Lanka to Cough Up a Port," 25 June 2018
Even if the incumbents bulk up, tech companies like Netflix , Amazon , and Apple will still have more leeway to spend.

— elizabeth winkler, WSJ, "Why Size Alone Won’t Help Old Media Beat Netflix," 24 June 2018
All the same, rights groups and the opposition say there was leeway for criticism -- until recently.

— omar mohammed, Bloomberg.com, "Opposition Fortunes Wane as Tanzania President Rules Supreme," 31 Jan. 2018

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