tailwind

noun

tail·​wind ˈtāl-ˌwind How to pronounce tailwind (audio)
plural tailwinds
Synonyms of tailwindnext
1
: a wind having the same general direction as a course of movement (as of an aircraft)
2
: a force or influence that advances progress toward an improved condition
… the strengthening housing market should be providing tailwinds for home improvement retailers.—Katherine Peralta
Medicare reform is a thorny problem even when the political tailwinds are favorable.—Russ Wiles

Examples of tailwind in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The stock has rallied about 10% since the beginning of this year as the bank has benefited from structural tailwinds such as a broadening in AI capital expenditures. — Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 20 Aug. 2026 The crisis creates differentiation by removing conditions that hid the difference between companies with real operational discipline and companies that were just riding favorable tailwinds. — Malte Kramer, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026 Last week, Nvidia partnered with six major financial institutions to launch compute-financing platforms targeting more than $500 billion in third-party funding for AI infrastructure—a push that recently got a regulatory tailwind. — Joshua Hong, Fortune, 18 Aug. 2026 To build on its plans, Trema benefits from several tailwinds. — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 7 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for tailwind

Word History

First Known Use

1897, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of tailwind was in 1897

Rhymes for tailwind

See All Rhymes for tailwind

Browse Nearby Words

tail wheel
tailwind
tailzie
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tailwind.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tailwind. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

tail wind

noun
: a wind having the same general direction as the course of a moving object (as an aircraft)

More from Merriam-Webster on tailwind

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for tailwind

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about tailwind

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All