headway

noun

head·​way ˈhed-ˌwā 

1

a

: motion or rate of motion in a forward direction

b

: advance, progress

2

: headroom (as under an arch) sufficient to allow passage

3

: the time interval between two vehicles traveling in the same direction on the same route

Synonyms

• advance
• advancement
• furtherance
• going
• march
• onrush
• passage
• process
• procession
• progress
• progression

Examples of headway in a Sentence

the ant was making little headway carrying a crumb that was about five times his size

Recent Examples on the Web

Trump made some headway in smoothing over tensions with trade partners on Sunday. —Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 27 May 2025

The White House could also make additional headway on the economy by moving faster to extend Trump’s 2017 tax cuts. —Editorial, Boston Herald, 5 May 2025

When an instance of misconduct is alleged and the investigation begins to make some headway, the police or corrections officer might quit or retire. —Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 24 May 2025

Since the start of the year, the rate for the most popular mortgage product has made little headway one way or the other, moving cautiously around the upper-6% range. —Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 23 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1730, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing headway

• make headway

Rhymes for headway

• airway
• allay
• archway
• array
• ashtray
• astray
• aue
• away
• ballet
• belay
• beltway
• beret

Kids Definition

headway

noun

head·​way -ˌwā 

1

: motion forward

2

: progress entry 1 sense 2