A headwind is a wind blowing directly toward you, making it harder to move forward. When a cyclist pedals into a headwind, every mile feels twice as long because the wind pushes against them with invisible force. Pilots talk about headwinds too: a plane flying into a strong headwind uses more fuel and takes longer to reach its destination.

You can feel the difference on your bike between a headwind (exhausting) and a tailwind (when the wind pushes you from behind, making everything easier).

People also use headwind to describe any force that makes progress difficult. A business might face economic headwinds when customers stop spending money. A student working two jobs while going to school faces serious headwinds when it comes to completing homework. In this sense, headwinds are the obstacles and challenges that resist your forward motion, whether they're actual wind or life circumstances that make your goals harder to reach.