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

An unwinding of pessimism could provide tailwinds as well. —Schaeffer's Investment Research, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025

Rocket Lab has several tailwinds working for it: A successful launch of its 70th Electron rocket mission on Aug 23, 2025 from New Zealand Expansion in semiconductor manufacturing capacity with help of a $23.9 million grant from the Dept of Commerce under the CHIPS and Science Act. —Todd Gordon, CNBC, 26 Aug. 2025

Whether the former rode to prominence on some of the latter’s tailwinds probably won’t mean much in the long term. —Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 22 Aug. 2025

Taylor Swift’s upcoming album release and her love of all things orange isn’t lost on her fans – or brands that are seeking a ride on what has become an enormous economic tailwind. —Fortune, 15 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1897, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for tailwind

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

Kids Definition

tail wind

noun

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