headway
English · Thesaurus
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headway
- /ˈhɛdweɪ/
Where it comes from
Partly from Middle English hauedwei, from Old English hēafodweġ (“head-road, main-road”); partly as a shortening of ahead-way, the source of the nautical sense. By surface analysis, head + way.
noun headways
- A movement ahead or forward.
- Forward motion, or its rate.
- The interval of time or distance between the fronts of two vehicles (e.g. buses) moving in succession in the same direction, especially along the same predetermined route. The whole of the main lines to be electrified were being equipped with four-aspect colour-light signals, automatically operated, where appropriate, and spaced to give a 5min headway throughout.
- Progress toward a goal.
- The clearance beneath an object, such as an arch, ceiling or bridge; headroom. So as not to impede navigation the two principal spans of the bridge were designed to provide a clear headway of 157 ft. above high water for a distance of 500 ft.; [...].
- A crossheading.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: clearance, head, headroom, advance, progression, progress, advancement, forward, improvement, achievement, development, breakthrough, success, step, pace, path
Translations
Every language
noun forward motion, or its rate
| Deutsch | Vorwärtsfahrt |
|---|---|
| Italiano | abbrivio, impulso, avvio |
| Русский | продвиже́ние prodvižénije, движе́ние вперёд dvižénije vperjód |
noun time or distance interval between the fronts of two vehicles
| Deutsch | Takt, Fahrzeugabstand |
|---|---|
| Italiano | intervallo |
| Русский | промежу́ток promežútok, интерва́л intɛrvál, расстоя́ние rasstojánije, дистанция distancija |
noun progress toward a goal
| Deutsch | Fortschritt |
|---|---|
| Italiano | progresso, avanzamento, evoluzione |
| Русский | продвиже́ние prodvižénije, прогре́сс progréss |
Talk about this word "headway." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/headway. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. headway. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/headway "headway." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/headway.Cite this
@misc{headway_2026,
title = {headway},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/headway},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
