[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/headwind/)

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# headwind

noun (a headwind, headwinds)

«headwind» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A wind blowing straight towards you, against the way you are going, which slows you down. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/headwind/#m1)
2. (figurative) Something that makes progress harder: The business faced headwinds. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/headwind/#m2)

### In the lessons

In science and maths problems a headwind slows a plane, boat or cyclist: you subtract the wind's speed from the speed; a tailwind adds to it. Phrases: «a strong headwind», «into a headwind», «face headwinds».

### Examples

- We cycled home into a strong headwind. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/headwind/#x1)
- The plane was late because of a headwind. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/headwind/#x2)
- A plane flies at 500 km/h; with a 50 km/h headwind its ground speed is 450 km/h. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/headwind/#x3)
- Runners hate a headwind in a race. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/headwind/#x4)
- The boat struggled against the headwind. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/headwind/#x5)
- The new shop faced headwinds when prices rose. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/headwind/#x6)

### Note

One word. Opposite: tailwind (wind from behind, which helps). In maths: speed with headwind = own speed − wind speed; with tailwind = own speed + wind speed.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «headwind» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/H/headwind/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«headwind» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/headwind.html) on Mova free.