as in winds
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 headwinds
That underlined how Mattel and other toy makers face consumer spending headwinds and tariff disruption to their supply chains.
—
Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 10 Feb. 2026
Funding the Time Lord No decision more neatly demonstrates the nasty headwinds facing scripted than Disney pulling out of the Doctor Who deal with the BBC, BBC Studios and Bad Wolf after just two seasons.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 9 Feb. 2026
Indeed, any jitters in China are only playing into wider questions about whether investors should be hedging themselves against headwinds to the dollar.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 9 Feb. 2026
More recently, national and state politics have produced stronger headwinds for events like GayDays.
—Stephen Hudak, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Feb. 2026
Sony’s hardware business is expected to face headwinds this year from rising component costs.
—Dylan Butts, CNBC, 5 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
Despite those headwinds, Disney’s parks business rebounded sharply starting in 2021 and 2022 as resorts reopened and travel demand returned.
—Allie Canal, NBC news, 3 Feb. 2026
On a fiscal first quarter earnings call Monday, Disney executives noted that international visitation to its domestic parks was facing headwinds.
—Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 10 Feb. 2026
Funding the Time Lord No decision more neatly demonstrates the nasty headwinds facing scripted than Disney pulling out of the Doctor Who deal with the BBC, BBC Studios and Bad Wolf after just two seasons.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 9 Feb. 2026
Indeed, any jitters in China are only playing into wider questions about whether investors should be hedging themselves against headwinds to the dollar.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 9 Feb. 2026
More recently, national and state politics have produced stronger headwinds for events like GayDays.
—Stephen Hudak, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Feb. 2026
Sony’s hardware business is expected to face headwinds this year from rising component costs.
—Dylan Butts, CNBC, 5 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
Despite those headwinds, Disney’s parks business rebounded sharply starting in 2021 and 2022 as resorts reopened and travel demand returned.
—Allie Canal, NBC news, 3 Feb. 2026
On a fiscal first quarter earnings call Monday, Disney executives noted that international visitation to its domestic parks was facing headwinds.
—Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for headwinds
winds
Noun
-
On top of the wet conditions, some strong winds will accompany the storm, especially in the mountain areas, where gusts are expected to reach 30 to 50 mph.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Harper and Yasmin, who’s emerged as the series’ co-lead, started out among Pierpoint’s newest hires; by the end of Season 3, the firm had been effectively dissolved, its novice traders scattered to the winds.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Headwinds.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/headwinds. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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