as in wind
an air movement that is blowing toward something (such as a ship or an airplane) as it moves forward
Stiff headwinds caused the flight to take longer than expected.
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Recent Examples of headwind
The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits tumbled to their lowest level more than 50 years last week despite a number of economic headwinds including the war in Iran.
—
ABC News, 30 Apr. 2026
Lanvin Group revenues fell 18% year-on-year to €240 million in fiscal 2025, impacted by market headwinds and an ongoing company transformation.
—Maliha Shoaib, Vogue, 30 Apr. 2026
Flight restrictions and sales headwinds Officials had already made Beijing’s airspace off-limits to most drone flights as of August 2025, according to Caixin Global.
—Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 30 Apr. 2026
Amid economic headwinds and the fragmenting of audiences with the ongoing evolution of the internet, there have also been recently been concerns regarding censorship within the traditional late-night context, with Jimmy Kimmel Live!
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for headwind
ABC News, 30 Apr. 2026
Lanvin Group revenues fell 18% year-on-year to €240 million in fiscal 2025, impacted by market headwinds and an ongoing company transformation.
—Maliha Shoaib, Vogue, 30 Apr. 2026
Flight restrictions and sales headwinds Officials had already made Beijing’s airspace off-limits to most drone flights as of August 2025, according to Caixin Global.
—Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 30 Apr. 2026
Amid economic headwinds and the fragmenting of audiences with the ongoing evolution of the internet, there have also been recently been concerns regarding censorship within the traditional late-night context, with Jimmy Kimmel Live!
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for headwind
Recent Examples of Synonyms for headwind
wind
Noun
-
Think of the way the path smells ahead of you, think of the freedom the wind is blowing your way.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
-
From around 2015, the winds started dragging up relatively warm, salty water from the ocean depths to the surface.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Headwind.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/headwind. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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