LEEWAY

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does leeway mean? 

• LEEWAY (noun)
  The noun LEEWAY has 2 senses:

1. (of a ship or plane) sideways drift

2. a permissible difference; allowing some freedom to move within limits

  Familiarity information: LEEWAY used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• LEEWAY (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

(of a ship or plane) sideways drift

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural processes

Hypernyms ("leeway" is a kind of...):

drift (the gradual departure from an intended course due to external influences (as a ship or plane))

Domain category:

aeroplane; airplane; plane (an aircraft that has a fixed wing and is powered by propellers or jets)

ship (a vessel that carries passengers or freight)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A permissible difference; allowing some freedom to move within limits

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

allowance; leeway; margin; tolerance

Hypernyms ("leeway" is a kind of...):

disagreement; discrepancy; divergence; variance (a difference between conflicting facts or claims or opinions)

 Context examples 

You’ve been working hard since January, and while the pressure is still on to perform well, you can give yourself some leeway and sit back to think.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

Do as you pleased, she always made more leeway than anything else, and turning round and round was the manoeuvre she was best at.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

I have said this was the worst thing possible for me, for helpless as she looked in this situation, with the canvas cracking like cannon and the blocks trundling and banging on the deck, she still continued to run away from me, not only with the speed of the current, but by the whole amount of her leeway, which was naturally great.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)