tailwind

noun

tail·​wind ˈtāl-ˌwind 

plural tailwinds

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

While payrolls could slow further in 2025, multiple sizable contractions in monthly payrolls seem unlikely given the high number of job openings in the U.S. economy and other positive labor market data providing tailwinds for the year ahead. —Jason Schenker, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024

This significant underperformance in a company with such strong tailwinds can only mean an extreme lack of confidence in management – and for good reason. —Kenneth Squire, CNBC, 21 Dec. 2024

The economy faces a complex set of tailwinds and headwinds next year. —Courtenay Brown, Axios, 18 Dec. 2024

Each residence has been carefully positioned at different angles along the front row, creating a sense of movement, as though each building has been swept along in the tailwind of the cars speeding past. —Adam Williams, New Atlas, 17 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1897, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

tail wind

noun

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