windage

noun

wind·​age ˈwin-dij How to pronounce windage (audio)
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 There is a rear peep sight with windage and elevation adjustment, but Savage also drilled and tapped the receiver to add a scope. Brodie Swisher, Outdoor Life, 7 Sep. 2022 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 Skilled target shooters can use a square blade for a form of Kentucky windage. David E. Petzal, Field & Stream, 30 Jan. 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 The tactile-style elevation turret unlocks 110 MOA of total adjustment; the windage knob has 65 MOA of adjustment. Andrew McKean, Outdoor Life, 18 Aug. 2020 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 Amazingly, the rear sight is adjustable for windage and elevation. The Editors, Field & Stream, 23 Feb. 2021 There are stainless-steel turrets for easy up and down or left and right adjustments, and a locking windage turret prevents accidental adjustments in the field. Field & Stream, 23 Nov. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'windage.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

wind entry 1

First Known Use

circa 1710, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of windage was circa 1710

Dictionary Entries Near windage

Cite this Entry

“Windage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/windage. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

windage

noun
wind·​age ˈwin-dij How to pronounce windage (audio)
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
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