headway

¹

[ hed-wey ]

noun

1. forward movement; progress in a forward direction:

   The ship's headway was slowed by the storm.

2. progress in general:

   headway in a career.

3. rate of progress:

   a slight headway against concerted opposition.

4. the time interval or distance between two vehicles, as automobiles, ships, or railroad or subway cars, traveling in the same direction over the same route.

headway

²

[ hed-wey ]

noun

1. headroom ( def 2 ).

headway

/ ˈhɛdˌweɪ /

noun

1. motion in a forward direction

   the vessel made no headway

2. progress or rate of progress

   he made no headway with the problem

3. another name for headroom
4. the distance or time between consecutive trains, buses, etc, on the same route

Word History and Origins

Origin of headway¹

First recorded in 1700–10; (a)head + way ¹

Origin of headway²

First recorded in 1700–10; head + way ¹

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. make headway, to proceed forward; advance; progress.

More idioms and phrases containing headway

see make headway .

Example Sentences

Certainly the technical ambitions seem more modest than what the folks at companies like Boston Dynamics are currently working on, but Iris Ohyama seems well-positioned to make some headway in the home robotics category to start.

From TechCrunch

Armed with a wealth of new data from 2020, scientists hope to be able to make some headway.

From Science News

We’ll see if bills to provide that support and funding introduced by San Diego lawmakers will make any headway in the state Legislature next year.

From Voice of San Diego

Companies such as Waymo, Cruise, and Baidu have all made strong headway as industry pioneers.

From MIT Technology Review

Combined, it shows just how serious the company is about making headway in this valuable area.

From TechCrunch

The agents in charge were under immense pressure to make headway in the case.

From The Daily Beast

There are also few, if any, global challenges on which meaningful headway can be made without robust U.S.-Chinese ties.

From The Daily Beast

He loved to talk tough about crime and illegal immigration, but managed to make little headway curbing either.

From The Daily Beast

Joyce had made even less headway with Ulysses, a work he had been planning since 1906.

From The Daily Beast

McCain and Graham also had a long meeting with Burns Tuesday, but McCain declined to say whether Burns was making any headway.

From The Daily Beast

The conception of the relation of this institution with them as co-operative makes headway slowly.

From Project Gutenberg

In the later half of the campaign of 1806 he hopelessly failed to make any headway against the Russians east of the Vistula.

From Project Gutenberg

Only by Smith's instinctive sense of direction did we make any headway toward the mouth of Sage Creek.

From Project Gutenberg

This pernicious practice has unfortunately obtained much headway in the United States and in Germany.

From Project Gutenberg

Jem, the driver of the roadster, crashed through the bushes just as the Comet was getting under its own headway.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• advancement