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
Higher cruise speeds allow the aircraft to counter headwinds more effectively.
—
Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 4 Feb. 2026
Wednesday’s cuts are the culmination of years of difficult industry-wide headwinds, damaging ownership decisions, leadership mismanagement, and turnover that kept the Post from developing and executing goals.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 4 Feb. 2026
Analysts noted that Lilly’s strong forecast assuages concerns about pricing headwinds negatively impacting growth in the company’s juggernaut obesity franchise, and stands in stark contrast to yesterday’s sales warning from Novo Nordisk.
—Elaine Chen, STAT, 4 Feb. 2026
Other downtown office owners eyeing conversion have hit headwinds.
—Thomas Gounley, Denver Post, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for headwind
Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 4 Feb. 2026
Wednesday’s cuts are the culmination of years of difficult industry-wide headwinds, damaging ownership decisions, leadership mismanagement, and turnover that kept the Post from developing and executing goals.
—Max Tani, semafor.com, 4 Feb. 2026
Analysts noted that Lilly’s strong forecast assuages concerns about pricing headwinds negatively impacting growth in the company’s juggernaut obesity franchise, and stands in stark contrast to yesterday’s sales warning from Novo Nordisk.
—Elaine Chen, STAT, 4 Feb. 2026
Other downtown office owners eyeing conversion have hit headwinds.
—Thomas Gounley, Denver Post, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for headwind
Recent Examples of Synonyms for headwind
wind
Noun
-
By Monday, a potent low-pressure center will come ashore somewhere around the San Francisco Bay Area, blanketing the state in widespread precipitation and gusty winds.—
Ian Livingston,
Washington Post,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Emily Brontë’s 1847 novel already established a Gothic world in which the trauma is as loud as the wind on the moors, and Emerald Fennell’s adaptation excises major portions of the book to streamline that atmospheric darkness and ultimate tragedy.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Headwind.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/headwind. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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