1
a
: the space between the projectile of a smoothbore gun and the surface of the bore
b
: the difference between the diameter of the bore of a muzzle-loading rifled cannon and that of the projectile cylinder
2
a
: the amount of sight deflection necessary to compensate for wind displacement in aiming a gun
b(1)
: the influence of the wind in deflecting the course of a projectile
(2)
: the amount of deflection due to the wind
3
: the surface exposed (as by a ship) to the wind
Examples of windage in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Unsnapping the front fan mounts' dust filter exposes two 140mm fans that are mounted on 3/8-inch spacers to reduce the windage that would have otherwise been caused by the close proximity of their blades to a secondary (120mm) set of fan mounting slots.
—
PCMAG, 4 Sep. 2023
Pontiac finally got serious a couple of years ago about making the 400 willing to go around corners as fast as the chassis, adding a windage tray to the oil pan, which liked nothing better than voiding its pickup of oil in hard corners.
—Larry Griffin, Car and Driver, 3 Feb. 2023
Skilled target shooters can use a square blade for a form of Kentucky windage.
—David E. Petzal, Field & Stream, 30 Jan. 2023
There is a rear peep sight with windage and elevation adjustment, but Savage also drilled and tapped the receiver to add a scope.
—Brodie Swisher, Outdoor Life, 7 Sep. 2022
There’s no wind in space or on the moon, so there would be no need to calculate for windage at longer ranges.
—Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 31 Mar. 2021
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PCMAG, 4 Sep. 2023
Pontiac finally got serious a couple of years ago about making the 400 willing to go around corners as fast as the chassis, adding a windage tray to the oil pan, which liked nothing better than voiding its pickup of oil in hard corners.
—Larry Griffin, Car and Driver, 3 Feb. 2023
Skilled target shooters can use a square blade for a form of Kentucky windage.
—David E. Petzal, Field & Stream, 30 Jan. 2023
There is a rear peep sight with windage and elevation adjustment, but Savage also drilled and tapped the receiver to add a scope.
—Brodie Swisher, Outdoor Life, 7 Sep. 2022
There’s no wind in space or on the moon, so there would be no need to calculate for windage at longer ranges.
—Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 31 Mar. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Windage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/windage. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
windage
noun
wind·age
ˈwin-dij 
1
: the influence of the wind in turning the course of a bullet or shell
2
: the amount of turning aside caused by the wind
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