tailwind

T1A1I1L1W4I1N1D2
/ˈteɪlwɪnd/

noun

A wind that blows in the same direction as the course taken by an aircraft, sailing ship, bird, etc.; a following wind.

Similar
fair wind
Opposite
headwindfoul wind
UncommonScrabble 12
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Meanings

nountailwind (plural tailwinds)

plural tailwinds

  1. natural sciencesA wind that blows in the same direction as the course taken by an aircraft, sailing ship, bird, etc.; a following wind.

    Synonyms: fair wind

  2. broadlyfigurativelyA force that accelerates progress.
verbtailwind (third-person singular simple present tailwinds, present participle tailwinding, simple past and past participle tailwinded)

present singular third person tailwinds · participle present tailwinding · participle past tailwinded · past tailwinded

  1. Of a wind, to blow on a windmill or wind turbine in such a way that wind pressure is exerted on the wrong side of the sail or turbine assembly.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA wind that blows in the same direction as the course taken by an aircraft, sailing ship, bird, etc.; a following wind.

Similar
fair wind
Opposite
headwindfoul wind

Origin

From tail + wind.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic رِيَاح مُؤَاتِيَة
  • رِيَاح مُؤَاتِيَة (riyāḥ muʔātiya)a wind that blows in the same direction as the course of an aircraft or ship
Chinese Mandarin 順風 /顺风
  • 順風 /顺风 (shùnfēng)a wind that blows in the same direction as the course of an aircraft or ship
Danish medvind
  • medvinda wind that blows in the same direction as the course of an aircraft or ship
Finnish myötätuuli
  • myötätuulia wind that blows in the same direction as the course of an aircraft or ship
French vent en poupe
  • vent en poupea wind that blows in the same direction as the course of an aircraft or ship
German Rückenwind
  • Rückenwinda wind that blows in the same direction as the course of an aircraft or ship
Hungarian hátszél
  • hátszéla wind that blows in the same direction as the course of an aircraft or ship
Icelandic meðvindur, meðbyr
  • meðvindura wind that blows in the same direction as the course of an aircraft or ship
  • meðbyra wind that blows in the same direction as the course of an aircraft or ship
Italian vento in poppa, vento di poppa
  • vento in poppaa wind that blows in the same direction as the course of an aircraft or ship
  • vento di poppaa wind that blows in the same direction as the course of an aircraft or ship
Japanese 追い風
  • 追い風 (oikaze)a wind that blows in the same direction as the course of an aircraft or ship
Norwegian Bokmål medvind
  • medvinda wind that blows in the same direction as the course of an aircraft or ship
Persian باد موافق
  • باد موافق (bâd-e movâfeġ)a wind that blows in the same direction as the course of an aircraft or ship
Polish wiatr w plecy
  • wiatr w plecya wind that blows in the same direction as the course of an aircraft or ship
Russian попу́тный ве́тер
  • попу́тный ве́тер (popútnyj véter)a wind that blows in the same direction as the course of an aircraft or ship
Spanish viento en popa, viento a favor
  • viento en popaa wind that blows in the same direction as the course of an aircraft or ship
  • viento a favora wind that blows in the same direction as the course of an aircraft or ship
  • viento favorablea wind that blows in the same direction as the course of an aircraft or ship
Swedish medvind
  • medvinda wind that blows in the same direction as the course of an aircraft or ship
Turkish pupa rüzgârı
  • pupa rüzgârıa wind that blows in the same direction as the course of an aircraft or ship
Cite this entry
APA

tailwind. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tailwind

MLA

“tailwind.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tailwind. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tailwind,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tailwind.

Source: tailwind on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.