tailwind

noun

tail·​wind ˈtāl-ˌwind 

plural tailwinds

1

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

2

: a force or influence that advances progress toward an improved condition

… the strengthening housing market should be providing tailwinds for home improvement retailers.

—Katherine Peralta

Medicare reform is a thorny problem even when the political tailwinds are favorable.

—Russ Wiles

Examples of tailwind in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Earnings are real, sidelined cash is enormous, exciting IPOs are just beginning, and macro tailwinds are more likely ahead — Hormuz reopening, falling oil, and a cutting Fed. —Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 9 June 2026

Sud credits this outsize growth to favorable industry tailwinds, but noted that the strategy for scaling has changed. —Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 9 June 2026

The plan underscores the tailwinds for companies in the supply chain for data centers. —John Towfighi, CNN Money, 2 June 2026

At the same time, geopolitical realignment and currency dynamics are creating powerful tailwinds for Japanese exporters, industrial leaders and technology suppliers. —Robert Daugherty, Forbes.com, 30 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1897, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for tailwind

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

Kids Definition

tail wind

noun

: a wind having the same general direction as the course of a moving object (as an aircraft)