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.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of headwind
Ongoing recalls and political headwinds accelerated the end of its road.
—
Robert Duffer, AJC.com, 23 Jan. 2026
In Fabric & Home Care, flat organic sales were driven by a 1% tailwind from foreign exchange, a 1% benefit from price, and a 1% headwind from the sales mix.
—Zev Fima, CNBC, 22 Jan. 2026
Now that strategy is facing headwinds, Steinbach said.
—Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 22 Jan. 2026
But electric vehicles face major headwinds.
—Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for headwind
Robert Duffer, AJC.com, 23 Jan. 2026
In Fabric & Home Care, flat organic sales were driven by a 1% tailwind from foreign exchange, a 1% benefit from price, and a 1% headwind from the sales mix.
—Zev Fima, CNBC, 22 Jan. 2026
Now that strategy is facing headwinds, Steinbach said.
—Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 22 Jan. 2026
But electric vehicles face major headwinds.
—Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for headwind
Recent Examples of Synonyms for headwind
wind
Noun
-
On Saturday night and early Sunday, forecasters expect wind and snow that could lead to blizzard conditions before the storm starts to move to sea.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 Jan. 2026
-
And a strong gust of wind can often throw a wrench into the whole thing.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Headwind.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/headwind. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
