leeway

views updated May 17 2018

lee·way / ˈlēˌwā/ • n. 1. the amount of freedom to move or act that is available: the government had several months' leeway to introduce reforms. ∎  margin of safety: there is little leeway if anything goes wrong.2. the sideways drift of a ship or an aircraft to leeward of the desired course: the leeway is only about 2°.

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