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
But advertisers have begun to cut back on ad spending in the face of macroeconomic headwinds and trade uncertainty.
—
Lillian Rizzo, CNBC, 1 Oct. 2025
At the same time, Tesla’s core EV business has faced headwinds in 2025, including large market-cap declines and profitability pressure that have sharpened scrutiny of whether Optimus can deliver commercial returns at scale.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2025
But that doesn't mean Davis is impervious to economic headwinds.
—Laura Hackett, NPR, 26 Sep. 2025
Meanwhile, the group faces constant headwinds in Washington making any changes to federal gun laws.
—Nick Penzenstadler, USA Today, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for headwind
Lillian Rizzo, CNBC, 1 Oct. 2025
At the same time, Tesla’s core EV business has faced headwinds in 2025, including large market-cap declines and profitability pressure that have sharpened scrutiny of whether Optimus can deliver commercial returns at scale.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2025
But that doesn't mean Davis is impervious to economic headwinds.
—Laura Hackett, NPR, 26 Sep. 2025
Meanwhile, the group faces constant headwinds in Washington making any changes to federal gun laws.
—Nick Penzenstadler, USA Today, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for headwind
Recent Examples of Synonyms for headwind
wind
Noun
-
In an early morning advisory, hurricane center forecasters said Priscilla was located about 230 miles south of the southern tip of Baja California with maximum sustained winds near 100 mph with higher gusts.—
Gabe Hauari,
USA Today,
7 Oct. 2025
-
The Trail Ridge Road in Colorado winds through Rocky Mountain National Park, displaying beautiful fall foliage views along the way.—
Abby Price,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Headwind.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/headwind. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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