1
: an allowable margin of freedom or variation : tolerance
The new rules allow managers greater leeway in making decisions.
2
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
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 on the Web
Allow me some brief leeway to identify what some researchers are suggesting.
—
Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
That gave Chu and the creative team a lot of leeway to imagine the end of their story.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2025
In public schools, district leaders make curriculum decisions for every campus, leaving teachers little leeway to decide what concepts to cover.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Sep. 2025
Under former President Joe Biden, the CFPB had sought to amend its exam manual to give its bank examiners more leeway to scrutinize financial institutions for potentially discriminatory practices, court records show.
—Jake Pearson, ProPublica, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for leeway
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Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
That gave Chu and the creative team a lot of leeway to imagine the end of their story.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2025
In public schools, district leaders make curriculum decisions for every campus, leaving teachers little leeway to decide what concepts to cover.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Sep. 2025
Under former President Joe Biden, the CFPB had sought to amend its exam manual to give its bank examiners more leeway to scrutinize financial institutions for potentially discriminatory practices, court records show.
—Jake Pearson, ProPublica, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for leeway
Cite this Entry
“Leeway.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leeway. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
leeway
noun
lee·way
ˈlē-ˌwā 
1
: sideways movement of a ship when under way
2
: an extra amount (as of room or time) that allows some freedom or variation
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