leeway

/ˈliːweɪ/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈliːweɪ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈlē-ˌwā/ (ame, mw)

leeway — noun

1. the freedom or extra time you are allowed to do something in your own way, witho

1.名詞B2
釋義

the freedom or extra time you are allowed to do something in your own way, without being forced to follow strict rules or a fixed schedule.

例句

The manager gave Eva some leeway to set her own deadlines for the project.

give someone leeway to do something

New parents usually need more leeway in their work schedules during the first few months.

leeway in something

同義詞
  • flexibility

    broader term; leeway focuses on permitted limits while flexibility is a general quality of being adaptable

  • freedom

    stronger and less bounded than leeway, which implies limits still exist

  • room

    informal synonym; 'room to negotiate' means 'leeway to negotiate'

反義詞
  • restriction

    a rule or limit that takes away leeway

  • rigidity

    the opposite of having flexible boundaries

文法句型

have leeway

give someone leeway

leeway to do something

leeway in something

用法筆記

Often describes the degree of flexibility someone has within rules, budgets, deadlines, or procedures. Common with modifiers such as 'some', 'little', 'more', 'enough'.

常見錯誤

❌I have many leeways at my new job.
✅I have a lot of leeway at my new job.
💡'leeway' is uncountable; do not add 's' or use 'many'.
❌The teacher gave me leeway of finishing the report later.
✅The teacher gave me leeway to finish the report later.
💡use a to-infinitive, not 'of + gerund'.

2. an amount of progress or time that has been lost, putting you behind schedule co

2.名詞C1
釋義

an amount of progress or time that has been lost, putting you behind schedule compared to where you should be.

例句

After the strike the factory had a lot of leeway to make up before the winter orders could be shipped.

leeway to make up

Chitra studied every evening to make up the leeway she had lost during her illness.

make up leeway

同義詞
  • lost ground

    more abstract; used for progress lost in competition or negotiation

  • backlog

    refers specifically to uncompleted work piling up

反義詞
  • head start

    an early advantage that puts you ahead rather than behind

文法句型

make up leeway

leeway to make up

用法筆記

Almost always used with the verb 'make up' ('make up leeway') or 'recover' ('recover leeway'). This sense is more common in British English than American English.

常見錯誤

❌We need to make leeway for the lost time.
✅We need to make up the leeway.
💡include 'up' as part of the phrasal verb 'make up'.

❌ 'There is some leeway in the project schedule.' (when meaning lost time) — this sentence uses sense 1 (room for flexibility), not sense 2.