headwind
noun
head·wind
| \ ˈhed-ˌwind
\
\
plural headwinds
Definition of headwind
1
: a wind having the opposite general direction to a course of movement (as of an aircraft)
2
: a force or influence that inhibits progress
Power-plant construction is facing headwinds in the U.S. as renewable energy projects and slack demand throw the economics of new generators into question.— Thomas Black For generations, the tribe has been leaning into cultural headwinds to preserve a language on the brink of extinction.— Kevin Simpson The plan faces political headwinds from both sides of the aisle …— Heidi M. Przybyla
Examples of headwind in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
For all of 2019, economists estimate that GDP will slow to around 2.2 percent and then drop to below 2% in 2020 as the economy faces headwinds from the global slowdown and the uncertainties from Trump’s escalating trade war with China. — Martin Crutsinger, USA TODAY, "Thanks to consumers, the US economy is still rising steadily," 29 Aug. 2019 This isn’t the first time the White House has floated a tax cut when facing political headwinds. — Laura Davison Bloomberg, Los Angeles Times, "Trump floats a tax cut, then calls it unneeded and not imminent," 20 Aug. 2019 At the global level, coal faces powerful headwinds. — Somini Sengupta, New York Times, "How One Billionaire Could Keep Three Countries Hooked on Coal for Decades," 15 Aug. 2019 Intel went into last quarter facing severe headwinds as prices for memory chips fell, the Chinese economy cooled and sales to data centers slowed. — Mike Rogoway, oregonlive.com, "Intel confirms $1 billion sale of modem business to Apple; outlook improves," 25 July 2019 But Russia’s push for a production increase faces strong headwinds. — Benoit Faucon, WSJ, "Saudis Push to Renew OPEC’s Oil-Export Curbs, Despite Tanker Attacks," 18 June 2019 Every euro-zone economy is buffeted by headwinds, but so far Germany’s is the only one to have contracted in the past quarter. — The Economist, "Germany’s economy is now shrinking," 15 Aug. 2019 Such investments are often in troubled companies that may be facing substantial headwinds that can keep them from recovering. — Dallas News, "Motley Fool: CVS is in a prime spot, investing for your kids and this week's trivia," 11 Aug. 2019 As the Caspian Economic Forum kicks off this week, critics will be wondering whether Turkmenistan's leader will appear in person, just as the coutry faces unprecedented headwinds. — CNN, "A hermit nation ruled by an egomaniac: Is Turkmenistan on the brink of collapse?," 10 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'headwind.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for headwind
headwind
noun
English Language Learners Definition of headwind
: a wind that is blowing toward something (such as a ship or an airplane) as it moves forward
See the full definition for headwind in the English Language Learners Dictionary