wind

UK: /ˈwɪnd/

US: /n. wɪnd, Literary waɪnd; v. wɪnd/

US: (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 Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

wind¹ /n. wɪnd, Literary waɪnd; v. wɪnd/   n. 

1. Meteorology air in natural motion, esp. strong motion:
   [countable] high winds.
   [uncountable] occasional gusts of wind.
2. Music and Dance winds, [plural]
   • wind instruments.
   • players of such instruments.
3. breath or breathing:
   [uncountable] He had to stop running and catch his wind.
4. a hint:
   [uncountable] They caught wind of a scandal.
5. empty talk;
   mere words:
   [uncountable] His speech was a lot of wind.
6. [uncountable] gas generated in the stomach and intestines.

v. [~ + object]

7. to make short of breath:
   [usually passive] He was winded after the long race.

Idioms

8. Idioms how or which way the wind blows or lies, what the tendency or likely direction of events will be:
   Don't take sides in the argument just yet; let's wait and see which way the wind blows.
9. Idioms in the wind, about to occur or happen:
   Change is very definitely in the wind.
10. Idioms take the wind out of one's sails, to destroy one's confidence or self-assurance.

wind² /waɪnd/   v., wound /waʊnd/  or (Rare) wind•ed /ˌwaɪndɪd/ ;
wind•ing, n. 
v. 

1. to have or take a curving or twisting course or direction;
   meander: [no object]
   The road winds a bit and then straightens out.
   [~ + object]
   He wound his way down the path.
2. to wrap, coil, or twine around (something):
   [~ + object] winding thread on a spool.
3. to tighten the spring of:
   [~ + object] She wound the clock.
4. wind down, [no object]
   • to bring or come to a gradual end:
     After a busy week the conference began to wind down.
   • to calm down;
     relax:
     You need a vacation in order to wind down.
5. wind up:
   • to (cause to) come to an end or conclusion: [no object]
     The meeting wound up at about 4:30.
     [~ + object + up]
     Let's wind this meeting up.
   • [no object] to arrive in a place or situation as a result of a course of action:
     to wind up in jail.
   • to make tense or nervous;
     excite: [~ + up + object]
     All the excitement wound up the kids.
     [~ + object + up]
     wound them up so much (that) they couldn't sleep.

n. [countable]

6. a single turn, twist, or bend.

wind•er, n. [countable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

wind¹  (n. wind, Literary wīnd;v. wind), n. 

1. Meteorology air in natural motion, as that moving horizontally at any velocity along the earth's surface:
   A gentle wind blew through the valley. High winds were forecast.
2. Meteorology a gale;
   storm;
   hurricane.
3. any stream of air, as that produced by a bellows or fan.
4. Music and Dance air that is blown or forced to produce a musical sound in singing or playing an instrument.
5. Music and Dance See wind instrument. 
6. Music and Dance wind instruments collectively.
7. Music and Dance the winds, the members of an orchestra or band who play the wind instruments.
8. breath or breathing:
   to catch one's wind.
9. the power of breathing freely, as during continued exertion.
10. any influential force or trend:
    strong winds of public opinion.
11. a hint or intimation:
    to catch wind of a stock split.
12. air carrying an animal's odor or scent.
13. Astronomy See solar wind. 
14. empty talk;
    mere words.
15. vanity;
    conceitedness.
16. gas generated in the stomach and intestines.
17. Sport [Boxing Slang.] the pit of the stomach where a blow may cause a temporary shortness of breath;
    solar plexus.
18. Geography any direction of the compass.
19. a state of unconcern, recklessness, or abandon:
    to throw all caution to the winds.
20. between wind and water:
    • Nautical (of a ship) at or near the water line.
    • in a vulnerable or precarious spot:
      In her profession one is always between wind and water.
21. break wind, to expel gas from the stomach and bowels through the anus.
22. how the wind blows or lies, what the tendency or probability is:
    Try to find out how the wind blows.
    Also, which way the wind blows. 
23. Nautical in the teeth of the wind, sailing directly into the wind;
    against the wind. Also, in the eye of the wind, in the wind's eye. 
24. in the wind, about to occur;
    imminent;
    impending:
    There's good news in the wind.
25. off the wind:
    • away from the wind;
      with the wind at one's back.
    • Nautical (of a sailing vessel) headed into the wind with sails shaking or aback.
26. Naval Terms on the wind, as close as possible to the wind. Also, on a wind. 
27. sail close to the wind:
    • Nautical Also, sail close on a wind. to sail as nearly as possible in the direction from which the wind is blowing.
    • to practice economy in the management of one's affairs.
    • to verge on a breach of propriety or decency.
    • to escape (punishment, detection, etc.) by a narrow margin;
      take a risk.
28. take the wind out of one's sails, to surprise someone, esp. with unpleasant news;
    stun;
    shock;
    flabbergast:
    She took the wind out of his sails when she announced she was marrying someone else.

v.t. 

29. to expose to wind or air.
30. to follow by the scent.
31. to make short of wind or breath, as by vigorous exercise.
32. to let recover breath, as by resting after exertion.

v.i. 

33. to catch the scent or odor of game.

• bef. 900; Middle English (noun, nominal), Old English; cognate with Dutch, German Wind, Old Norse vindr, Gothic winds, Latin ventus

Synonyms

• 1. Wind, air, zephyr, breeze, blast, gust refer to a quantity of air set in motion naturally.
  Wind applies to any such air in motion, blowing with whatever degree of gentleness or violence.
  Air, usually poetical, applies to a very gentle motion of the air.
  Zephyr, also poetical, refers to an air characterized by its soft, mild quality. A breeze is usually a cool, light wind.
  Blast and gust apply to quick, forceful winds of short duration; blast implies a violent rush of air, often a cold one, whereas a gust is little more than a flurry.
• 16. flatulence.

wind²  (wīnd), v., wound or (Rare) wind•ed (wīn′did); wind•ing;
 n. 
v.i. 

1. to change direction;
   bend;
   turn;
   take a frequently bending course;
   meander:
   The river winds through the forest.
2. to have a circular or spiral course or direction.
3. to coil or twine about something:
   The ivy winds around the house.
4. to proceed circuitously or indirectly.
5. to undergo winding or winding up.
6. to be twisted or warped, as a board.

v.t. 

7. to encircle or wreathe, as with something twined, wrapped, or placed about.
8. to roll or coil (thread, string, etc.) into a ball, on a spool, or the like (often fol. by up).
9. to remove or take off by unwinding (usually fol. by off or from):
   She wound the thread off the bobbin.
10. to twine, fold, wrap, or place about something.
11. to make (a mechanism) operational by tightening the mainspring with a key (often fol. by up):
    to wind a clock; to wind up a toy.
12. to haul or hoist by means of a winch, windlass, or the like (often fol. by up).
13. to make (one's or its way) in a bending or curving course:
    The stream winds its way through the woods.
14. to make (one's or its way) by indirect, stealthy, or devious procedure:
    to wind one's way into another's confidence.
15. wind down:
    • to lessen in intensity so as to bring or come to a gradual end:
      The war is winding down.
    • to calm down;
      relax:
      He's too excited tonight to wind down and sleep.
16. wind up:
    • to bring to a state of great tension;
      excite (usually used in the past participle):
      He was all wound up before the game.
    • to bring or come to an end;
      conclude:
      to wind up a sales campaign.
    • to settle or arrange in order to conclude:
      to wind up one's affairs.
    • to become ultimately:
      to wind up as a country schoolteacher.
    • Sport [Baseball.] (of a pitcher) to execute a windup.

n. 

17. the act of winding.
18. a single turn, twist, or bend of something wound:
    If you give it another wind, you'll break the mainspring.
19. a twist producing an uneven surface.
20. out of wind, (of boards, plasterwork, etc.) flat and true.

• bef. 900; Middle English winden, Old English windan; cognate with Dutch, German winden, Old Norse vinda, Gothic -windan; akin to wend, wander

wind³  (wīnd, wind), v.t., wind•ed or wound, wind•ing. 

1. to blow (a horn, a blast, etc.).
2. to sound by blowing.
3. to signal or direct by blasts of the horn or the like.

• 1375–1425; late Middle English; special use of wind¹

WInd, 

1. West Indian.

Also, W.Ind. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

wind / wɪnd/ noun

1. a current of air, sometimes of considerable force, moving generally horizontally from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure
   See also Beaufort scale
2. the direction from which a wind blows, usually a cardinal point of the compass
3. air artificially moved, as by a fan, pump, etc
4. a trend, tendency, or force: the winds of revolution
5. a hint; suggestion: we got wind that you were coming
6. something deemed insubstantial: his talk was all wind
7. breath, as used in respiration or talk: you're just wasting wind
8. (often used in sports) the power to breathe normally: his wind is weak
   See also second wind
9. a wind instrument or wind instruments considered collectively
10. (often plural) the musicians who play wind instruments in an orchestra
11. (modifier) of, relating to, or composed of wind instruments: a wind ensemble
12. an informal name for flatus
13. the air on which the scent of an animal is carried to hounds or on which the scent of a hunter is carried to the quarry
14. between wind and water ⇒ the part of a vessel's hull below the water line that is exposed by rolling or by wave action
15. any point particularly susceptible to attack or injury
16. break wind ⇒ to release intestinal gas through the anus
17. get the wind up, have the wind up ⇒ to become frightened
18. have in the wind ⇒ to be in the act of following (quarry) by scent
19. how the wind blows, how the wind lies, which way the wind blows, which way the wind lies ⇒ what appears probable
20. in the teeth of the wind, in the eye of the wind ⇒ directly into the wind
21. in the wind ⇒ about to happen
22. into the wind ⇒ against the wind or upwind
23. off the wind ⇒ away from the direction from which the wind is blowing
24. on the wind ⇒ as near as possible to the direction from which the wind is blowing
25. put the wind up ⇒ to frighten or alarm
26. raise the wind ⇒ to obtain the necessary funds
27. sail close to the wind, sail near to the wind ⇒ to come near the limits of danger or indecency
28. to live frugally or manage one's affairs economically
29. take the wind out of someone's sails ⇒ to destroy someone's advantage; disconcert or deflate
30. three sheets to the wind ⇒ intoxicated; drunk

verb (transitive)

1. to cause (someone) to be short of breath: the blow winded him
2. to detect the scent of
3. to pursue (quarry) by following its scent
4. to cause (a baby) to bring up wind after feeding by patting or rubbing on the back
5. to expose to air, as in drying, ventilating, etc

Etymology: Old English wind; related to Old High German wint, Old Norse vindr, Gothic winds, Latin ventus

ˈwindless adjective

wind / waɪnd/ verb (winds, winding, wound)

often followed by around, about, or upon: to turn or coil (string, cotton, etc) around some object or point or (of string, etc) to be turned, etc, around some object or point: he wound a scarf around his head

(transitive) to twine, cover, or wreathe by or as if by coiling, wrapping, etc; encircle: we wound the body in a shroud

(transitive) often followed by up: to tighten the spring of (a clockwork mechanism)

(transitive) followed by off: to remove by uncoiling or unwinding

(usually intr) to move or cause to move in a sinuous, spiral, or circular course: the river winds through the hills

(transitive) to introduce indirectly or deviously: he is winding his own opinions into the report

(transitive) to cause to twist or revolve: he wound the handle

(tr; usually followed by up or down) to move by cranking: please wind up the window

noun

1. a single turn, bend, etc: a wind in the river
2. Also called: winding a twist in a board or plank

Etymology: Old English windan; related to Old Norse vinda, Old High German wintan (German winden)

ˈwindable adjective

wind / waɪnd/ verb (winds, winding, winded, wound)

1. (transitive) to blow (a note or signal) on (a horn, bugle, etc)

Etymology: 16th Century: special use of wind¹