windage

noun

wind·​age ˈwin-dij 

1

a

: the space between the projectile of a smoothbore gun and the surface of the bore

b

: the difference between the diameter of the bore of a muzzle-loading rifled cannon and that of the projectile cylinder

2

a

: the amount of sight deflection necessary to compensate for wind displacement in aiming a gun

b(1)

: the influence of the wind in deflecting the course of a projectile

(2)

: the amount of deflection due to the wind

3

: the surface exposed (as by a ship) to the wind

Examples of windage in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Dialing windage is popular with some target shooting disciplines where the course of fire follows a predictable, easy pace. —John B. Snow, Outdoor Life, 15 Jan. 2026

Unsnapping the front fan mounts' dust filter exposes two 140mm fans that are mounted on 3/8-inch spacers to reduce the windage that would have otherwise been caused by the close proximity of their blades to a secondary (120mm) set of fan mounting slots. —PCMAG, 4 Sep. 2023

Pontiac finally got serious a couple of years ago about making the 400 willing to go around corners as fast as the chassis, adding a windage tray to the oil pan, which liked nothing better than voiding its pickup of oil in hard corners. —Larry Griffin, Car and Driver, 3 Feb. 2023

Skilled target shooters can use a square blade for a form of Kentucky windage. —David E. Petzal, Field & Stream, 30 Jan. 2023

There’s no wind in space or on the moon, so there would be no need to calculate for windage at longer ranges. —Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 31 Mar. 2021

Word History

Etymology

wind entry 1

First Known Use

circa 1710, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

windage

noun

wind·​age ˈwin-dij 

1

: the influence of the wind in turning the course of a bullet or shell

2

: the amount of turning aside caused by the wind