Advertisement
Advertisement
wind up
/ ɲɪԻ /
verb
to bring to or reach a conclusion
he wound up the proceedings
(tr) to tighten the spring of (a clockwork mechanism)
informal(tr; usually passive) to make nervous, tense, etc; excite
he was all wound up before the big fight
(tr) to roll (thread, etc) into a ball
an informal word for liquidate
informal(intr) to end up (in a specified state)
you'll wind up without any teeth
(tr; usually passive) to involve; entangle
they were wound up in three different scandals
(tr) to hoist or haul up
slang(tr) to tease (someone)
noun
the act of concluding
the finish; end
slangan act or instance of teasing
she just thinks it's a big wind-up
Idioms and Phrases
Come or bring to a finish, as in The party was winding up, so we decided to leave , or Let's wind up the meeting and get back to work . [Early 1800s] Also see wind down .
Put in order, settle, as in She had to wind up her affairs before she could move . [Late 1700s]
Arrive somewhere following a course of action, end up, as in We got lost and wound up in another town altogether , or If you're careless with your bank account, you can wind up overdrawn . [ Colloquial ; early 1900s]
Example Sentences
Fujioka grew up not far from this plaza in Boyle Heights, were so many people with journeys similar to that of his grandfather wind up, then and now.
Then just do what the team always winds up doing anyway — rely on inexpensive, lower-tier and journeyman pitchers for the season.
In the film Lively played the main character, Lily Bloom, a young woman who grew up witnessing domestic abuse, and winds up in the same position years later.
“What winds up in the book are many of the unexpected or revealing conversational nuggets that could be discovered only after the familiar territory had been crossed,” then-Times staff writer Carolyn Kellogg wrote.
Everyone talks a big game to salvage their marriage and their pride and winds up looking ridiculous.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Browse