Idiom Topics

  • The Ubiquitous Essentials

    10
    • On the other hand
    • At the end of the day
    • In the long run
    • Bear in mind
    • A piece of cake
    • Keep an eye on
    • Out of the blue
    • Rule of thumb
    • So far, so good
    • Behind the scenes

  • Everyday Casual & Workplace

    10
    • Under the weather
    • Call it a day
    • Up in the air
    • Wrap your head around
    • Break the ice
    • Get out of hand
    • Go the extra mile
    • Touch base
    • Hit the nail on the head
    • Cut corners

  • Problem Solving & Interaction

    10
    • See eye to eye
    • Read between the lines
    • Take it with a grain of salt
    • Get the hang of it
    • Give the benefit of the doubt
    • The elephant in the room
    • Hit the ground running
    • Play it by ear
    • Bite the bullet
    • Sit on the fence

  • Decisions & Perspectives

    9
    • Jump on the bandwagon
    • Cross that bridge when we come to it
    • The best of both worlds
    • A blessing in disguise
    • Once in a blue moon
    • Pull someone's leg
    • Miss the boat
    • Better late than never
    • Get your act together

  • Colorful & Traditional

    10
    • Spill the beans
    • Let the cat out of the bag
    • Bite off more than you can chew
    • Go back to the drawing board
    • Barking up the wrong tree
    • Actions speak louder than words
    • A penny for your thoughts
    • Break a leg
    • Hit the sack
    • Beat around the bush

  • Academic & Formal Discourse

    10
    • Bear fruit
    • Pave the way
    • Shed light on
    • Go hand in hand
    • Tip the scales
    • Fly in the face of
    • Bring to the table
    • Turn a blind eye
    • Draw a blank
    • State of the art

  • Emotions & Reactions

    10
    • Over the moon
    • Down in the dumps
    • On edge
    • Blow off steam
    • Keep your cool
    • Drive someone up the wall
    • On cloud nine
    • A weight off my shoulders
    • At your wits' end
    • Thrilled to bits

  • Effort, Success, & Failure

    10
    • Start from scratch
    • Pass with flying colors
    • Fall flat
    • Go down the drain
    • Keep your head above water
    • Pay off
    • Throw in the towel
    • Make headway
    • Uphill battle
    • Back to square one

  • Time, Speed, & Urgency

    10
    • Beat the clock
    • At the eleventh hour
    • Around the clock
    • In the nick of time
    • Drag your feet
    • Time flies
    • Make up for lost time
    • Call time on
    • Ahead of the curve
    • On the spur of the moment

  • Resources, Money, & Value

    10
    • Make ends meet
    • Foot the bill
    • Break the bank
    • Tighten your belt
    • Bang for your buck
    • A drop in the ocean
    • Make a killing
    • On a shoestring budget
    • Worth your weight in gold
    • Pay top dollar

Make headway

Learn the meaning, origin, and usage of the idiom "Make headway" with five example sentences across different contexts. This idiom is part of ourEffort, Success, & Failure collection for PTE and IELTS preparation.

Effort, Success, & Failure

Make headway

Make headway
To make progress, move forward, or achieve success in a task, project, or journey, especially when facing difficulties or slow movement.
History & Origin

This idiom originates from 17th-century nautical terminology, where 'headway' referred to the forward motion of a ship, particularly when sailing into a headwind or dealing with opposing tides. If a vessel was moving forward against these natural forces, it was said to be 'making headway.' Over time, the phrase transitioned into general English to describe progress in any challenging endeavor.

Examples
Workplace Email

Despite the unexpected delays in software deployment, our development team managed to make considerable headway on resolving the critical bugs yesterday.

Casual Conversation

I was really struggling to understand organic chemistry at first, but after a few sessions with my tutor, I'm finally starting to make some headway.

Academic Writing

The international committee has struggled to make significant headway toward a global climate agreement due to conflicting economic priorities among member nations.

News/Media

Rescue workers are fighting severe weather conditions but have made vital headway in clearing the primary roads leading to the isolated mountain village.

Formal Speech

If we are to make genuine headway against systemic poverty, we must commit to long-term structural reforms rather than temporary financial relief.

Quiz
Which of the following sentences uses the idiom correctly?

A. After a long day of intense manual labor, the exhausted construction worker decided to make headway back to his apartment for a good night's rest.

B. Although negotiation talks started with rigid tension, both diplomatic teams eventually made headway toward a peaceful compromise.

C. The CEO asked the project manager to make headway the final report by printing it out and organizing the pages neatly inside a blue presentation folder.

D. Since we have a long drive tomorrow morning, we should make headway and go to sleep before it gets past midnight.