1. winds that blow across the path of something, especially an aircraft or vehicle
Usage: aviation; meteorology
2. conflicting or opposing forces, influences, or trends
Usage: figurative

Examples

• The pilot had to adjust for strong crosswinds during landing.
• Crosswinds made it difficult to keep the small plane on course.
• The airport was closed due to dangerous crosswinds exceeding safety limits.
• The company faced crosswinds from both regulatory changes and market competition.
• Political crosswinds threatened to derail the peace negotiations.
• The cyclist struggled against the crosswinds on the exposed bridge.
• Economic crosswinds created uncertainty for investors.