wind

UK:*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈwɪnd/

US:USA pronunciation: IPAUSA pronunciation: IPA/n. wɪnd, Literary waɪnd; v. wɪnd/

US:USA pronunciation: respellingUSA pronunciation: respelling(wind for breath, also wīnd, Literary, for n.;wīnd for turns, coils, etc.)


Inflections of 'wind' (v): (⇒ conjugate)
winds
v 3rd person singular
winding
v pres p
wound
v past (For senses relating to curving, twining, twisting, etc.)
winded
v past (For senses relating to breath or air)
wound
v past p (For senses relating to curving, twining, twisting, etc.)
winded
v past p (For senses relating to breath or air)
WordReference Collins English Usage © 2025
wind
Wind can be a noun or a verb.
used as a noun
The wind /wɪnd/ is a current of air moving across the earth's surface.
An icy wind brought clouds of snow.
Leaves were being blown along by the wind.
used as a verb
The verb wind /waɪnd/ has a completely different meaning. If a road or river winds in a particular direction, it goes in that direction with a lot of bends.
The river winds through miles of beautiful countryside.
The past tense and -ed participle of this verb is wound, pronounced /waʊnd/.
The road wound across the desolate plain.
You can also wind /waɪnd/ something around something else. For example, you can wind a wire around a stick. This means that you wrap the wire around the stick several times.
She started to wind the bandage around her arm.
He had a long scarf wound round his neck.
When you wind /waɪnd/ something such as a watch or a clock, you turn a knob or handle several times in order to make it operate.
I hadn't wound my watch so I didn't know the time.
‘wound’
Wound can also be pronounced /wuːnd/. When it is pronounced like this, it is a noun or a verb, and it has a completely different meaning. A wound is damage to a part of your body, caused by a weapon.
They treated a soldier with a leg wound.
If someone wounds you, they damage your body using a weapon.
Her father was badly wounded in the war.
'wind' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

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