Retirement Benefits (Narrative) (Details) shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands		12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2020	Sep. 30, 2021 USD ($) yr shares	Sep. 30, 2020 USD ($) shares	Sep. 30, 2019 USD ($) shares
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Percentage of annual contribution equal to eligible prior year wages	5.00%
Number of years of service	2 years
Common shares issued from treasury stock for benefit plans		$ 14,900	$ 14,748	$ 14,846
Shares of woodward stock held in woodward retirement savings plan | shares		2,760	3,199
Accrued liabilities		$ 11,588	$ 11,230
Retirement savings plan amendment date		Jan. 01, 2021
Treasury Stock at Cost [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Common shares issued from treasury stock for benefit plans		$ 5,358	$ 5,328	$ 5,673
Common shares issued from treasury stock for benefit plans, shares | shares		128	124	158
Defined Benefit Pension Plan [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Current portion of pension obligation		$ 1,017	$ 1,059
Net periodic retirement (benefit) cost		(3,191)	(346)	$ (1,238)
Projected benefit obligation		299,364	307,623	297,130
Fair value of plan assets		291,107	266,709	234,133
Defined Benefit Pension Plan [Member] | Cash and Cash Equivalents
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets		3,832	1,385
Defined Benefit Pension Plan [Member] | Pooled funds: Index linked U.K. government securities fund [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets		6,047	5,767
Defined Benefit Pension Plan [Member] | Pooled funds: Index linked U.K. long-term government securities fund [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Fair value of plan assets		8,716	8,341
Defined Benefit Pension Plan [Member] | United States [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Net periodic retirement (benefit) cost		$ (5,948)	(2,731)	(2,825)
Discount rate support/source data		In the United States, Woodward uses a bond portfolio matching analysis based on recently traded, non-callable bonds rated AA or better that have at least $50 million outstanding to determine the benefit obligations at year end
Convergence period		5 years
Long term rate		0.75
Projected benefit obligation		$ 177,346	184,077	175,595
Fair value of plan assets		221,263	201,555	170,556
Accumulated benefit obligation		177,346
Estimated future employer contributions in the next fiscal year		0
Defined Benefit Pension Plan [Member] | Foreign Plan
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Current portion of pension obligation		1,017	1,059
Net periodic retirement (benefit) cost		$ 2,757	2,385	1,587
Discount rate support/source data		In the United Kingdom, Germany and Japan, Woodward uses a high-quality corporate bond yield curve matched with separate cash flows to develop a single rate to determine the single rate equivalent to settle the entire benefit obligations in each jurisdiction. For the fiscal years ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, the discount rate used to determine periodic service cost and interest cost components of the overall benefit costs was based on spot rates derived from the same high-quality corporate bond yield curve used to determine the September 30, 2020 and 2019 benefit obligation, respectively, matched with separate cash flows for each future year
Projected benefit obligation		$ 122,018	123,546	121,535
Fair value of plan assets		69,844	65,154	63,577
Defined Benefit Pension Plan [Member] | United Kingdom
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Projected benefit obligation		61,819
Fair value of plan assets		57,945
Accumulated benefit obligation		60,690
Estimated future employer contributions in the next fiscal year		1,259
Defined Benefit Pension Plan [Member] | Japan
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Projected benefit obligation		9,786
Fair value of plan assets		11,899
Accumulated benefit obligation		8,958
Estimated future employer contributions in the next fiscal year		198
Defined Benefit Pension Plan [Member] | Germany [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Projected benefit obligation		50,413
Fair value of plan assets		0
Accumulated benefit obligation		50,402
Estimated future employer contributions in the next fiscal year		$ 1,014
Defined Benefit Pension Plan [Member] | Japan And United Kingdom [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Annual improvement rate		1.5
Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Current portion of pension obligation		$ 1,808	1,992
Net periodic retirement (benefit) cost		631	834	$ 1,209
Accumulated benefit obligation		$ 21,544	25,445
Option to elect company provided medical insurance coverage up to this age and a Medicare supplemental plan after this age | yr		65
Age employees were eligible to participate in plan | yr		55
Defined benefit plan, minimum years of service required for employees to be eligible for benefits		10 years
Approximate number of retired employees and their covered dependents and beneficiaries currently providing postretirement benefits		7
Approximate number of active employees and their covered dependants and beneficiaries who may receive postretirement benefits in the future		425
As a result of a plan amendment, all postretirement medical benefits are fully insured for retirees who have attained this age		65
Other Postretirement Benefit Plans [Member] | United States [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Discount rate support/source data		Woodward used a bond portfolio matching analysis based on recently traded, non-callable bonds rated AA or better that have at least $50 million outstanding to determine the benefit obligations at year end
Convergence period		5 years
Long term rate		0.75
Woodward Retirement Savings Plan [Member] | United States [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Accumulated benefit obligation			184,077
Woodward Retirement Savings Plan [Member] | United Kingdom
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Accumulated benefit obligation			58,198
Woodward Retirement Savings Plan [Member] | Japan
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Accumulated benefit obligation			9,266
Woodward Retirement Savings Plan [Member] | Germany [Member]
Defined Benefit Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Accumulated benefit obligation			$ 54,403