tailwind

tail·wind | \ ˈtāl-ˌwind

plural tailwinds

Definition of tailwind

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 Yet the twin tailwinds of Brexit and Jeremy Corbyn will not always be there to help the Tories. — The Economist, "Who are the Conservatives’ new voters in the north?," 18 Dec. 2019 In conjunction with Sanders' financial tailwind, the campaign boasts impressive grassroots and organizing numbers. — Cara Korte, CBS News, "Bernie Sanders beat Democratic rivals to raise $34.5 million in the 4th quarter," 2 Jan. 2020 Federal aviation investigators found the pilot flying that day had relatively little experience at the controls and landed with gusty tailwinds. — Zaz Hollander, Anchorage Daily News, "Nearly 2 months after fatal crash, Unalaskans are struggling to get in the air," 8 Dec. 2019 Both factors became tailwinds for Fox during this sales process — the league’s regular season ratings are up and US stocks have been nearing all-time highs. — BostonGlobe.com, "Fox Sports sold out its inventory of Super Bowl ads, with prices for 30-second spots at television’s biggest annual event going for as much as a record $5.6 million.," 26 Nov. 2019 Both factors became tailwinds for Fox during this sales process -- the league's regular season ratings are up and U.S. stocks have been nearing all-time highs. — Eben Novy-williams And Scott Soshnick, chicagotribune.com, "Fox says Super Bowl ads sold out at record $5.6 million each," 25 Nov. 2019 Other research suggests that some of the powerful tailwinds behind digital payments could be tapering somewhat. — John Detrixhe, Quartz, "Stripe’s soaring valuation shows money is still pouring into tech unicorns," 19 Sep. 2019 Those tailwinds could evaporate quickly, but that hasn’t dissuaded investors, at least so far. — Washington Post, "Wall Street Fears Elizabeth Warren for the Wrong Reasons," 5 Nov. 2019 This mix of administrative incoherence and incompetence, plus voters’ feeling that a strong hand was needed to prevent further terrorism, provided a typhoon-scale tailwind for the Rajapaksas’ return. — The Economist, "A polarising election The Rajapaksas are back in power in Sri Lanka," 18 Nov. 2019

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

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Last Updated

24 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Tailwind.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tailwind. Accessed 28 January 2020.

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