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

The Fed’s rate cuts in September and October helped provide a tailwind for stocks. —John Towfighi, CNN Money, 13 Nov. 2025

Policy and ecosystem tailwinds The RoboParty launch emerges amid a broader push by Chinese authorities to develop robotics, AI, and humanoid systems as key strategic technologies. —Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 13 Nov. 2025

The breakout supports higher natural gas prices over the intermediate-term, and the channel’s long-term upside momentum is a tailwind looking out into 2026. —Katie Stockton, CNBC, 10 Nov. 2025

Similarly, clean firm power sources such as nuclear, geothermal, and gas power with carbon capture, are experiencing tailwinds both from policy and from rising demand from data centers. —Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 6 Nov. 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)