wind

1 of 5

noun (1)

ˈwind How to pronounce wind (audio)
archaic or poetic
ˈwīnd How to pronounce wind (audio)
often attributive
1
a
: a natural movement of air of any velocity
especially : the earth's air or the gas surrounding a planet in natural motion horizontally
b
: an artificially produced movement of air
2
a
: a force or agency that carries along or influences : tendency, trend
withstood the winds of popular opinionFelix Frankfurter
b
: a destructive force or influence
3
c
: the pit of the stomach : solar plexus
4
: gas generated in the stomach or the intestines
pass wind
5
plural winds
a
: musical wind instruments especially as distinguished from strings and percussion : the wind instruments of an orchestra
b
: players of wind instruments
6
a
: slight information especially about something secret : intimation
got wind of the plan
b
: air carrying a scent (as of a hunter or game)
7
: something that is insubstantial: such as
a
: mere talk : idle words
c
: vain self-satisfaction
8
a
: a direction from which the wind may blow : a point of the compass
especially : one of the cardinal points
b
: the direction from which the wind is blowing
9
a
: compressed air or gas
b
archaic : air
windless adjective
windlessly adverb

wind

2 of 5

verb (1)

winded; winding; winds

transitive verb

1
: to make short of breath
2
: to detect or follow by scent
3
: to expose to the air or wind : dry by exposing to air
4
: to regulate the wind supply of (an organ pipe)
5
: to rest (an animal, such as a horse) in order to allow the breath to be recovered

intransitive verb

1
: to scent game
2
dialect : to pause for breath

wind

3 of 5

verb (2)

wound ˈwau̇nd How to pronounce wind (audio) also winded; winding

transitive verb

1
a
: to turn completely or repeatedly about an object : coil, twine
b
: to encircle or cover with something pliable : bind with loops or layers
c
: to raise to a high level (as of excitement or tension)
usually used with up
d(1)
: to tighten the spring of
wind a clock
(2)
: crank
(3)
obsolete : to make tighter : tighten, tune
e(1)
: to hoist or haul by means of a rope or chain and a windlass
(2)
: to move (a ship) by hauling on a capstan
2
a
: to traverse on a curving course
the river winds the valley
b
: to cause to move in a curving line or path
c
: to effect by or as if by curving
d(1)
: to cause (something, such as a ship) to change direction : turn
(2)
: to turn (a ship) end for end
e
archaic : to turn the course of
especially : to lead (a person) as one wishes
3
b
: to introduce sinuously or stealthily : insinuate
c
obsolete : weave

intransitive verb

1
a
: to have a curving course or shape : extend in curves
b
: to proceed as if by winding
2
: to move so as to encircle something
3
: to turn when lying at anchor
4
: bend, warp

wind

4 of 5

noun (2)

1
: coil, turn
2
: a particular method of winding
3
: an act of winding : the state of being wound
4
: a mechanism (such as a winch) for winding
winded ˈwīn-dəd How to pronounce wind (audio)
ˈwin-
or wound ˈwau̇nd How to pronounce wind (audio) ; winding

transitive verb

1
: to cause (something, such as a horn) to sound by blowing : blow
2
: to sound (a call or note) on a horn
wound a rousing callR. L. Stevenson

intransitive verb

: to produce a sound on a horn
Phrases
before the wind
: in the same direction as the main force of the wind
close to the wind
: as nearly as possible against the main force of the wind
have the wind of
1
: to be to windward of
2
: to be on the scent of
3
: to have a superior position to
in the wind
: about to happen : astir, afoot
change is in the wind
near the wind
1
: close to the wind
2
: close to a point of danger : near the permissible limit
off the wind
: away from the direction from which the wind is blowing
on the wind
: toward the direction from which the wind is blowing
to the wind or to the winds
: aside, away
threw caution to the wind
under the wind
1
: to leeward
2
: in a place protected from the wind : under the lee

Examples of wind in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Some areas south and west of the Kansas City area could see gusty winds and hail Thursday morning. Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 7 Mar. 2024 Alerts were sent out Tuesday evening with warnings of quarter-sized hail and damaging winds that will accompany the thunderstorms. Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Mar. 2024 The National Weather Service also warns there is a 10% chance of gusty winds and hail accompanying the thunderstorms, but would not last long. Caralin Nunes, The Arizona Republic, 6 Mar. 2024 Here, five miles of unspoiled beaches unfurl along the Atlantic and sandy trails wind through dense maritime forest. Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 6 Mar. 2024 The strong winds that have buffeted Northwest Arkansas much of the last three days are supposed to calm down and be in the high single digits out of the north with a temperature of about 65 degrees by game time. Tom Murphy, arkansasonline.com, 5 Mar. 2024 Light south wind increasing to 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 4 Mar. 2024 The powerful blizzard began late last week but its most intense conditions occurred on Sunday, when wind gusts reached 190 mph and white out conditions left hundreds of people stranded in their cars for several hours. Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2024 South wind 7 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. Aaron Valdez, The Enquirer, 24 Feb. 2024
Verb
Strong westerly winds about a mile high over top the mountains where the clouds ascended. Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 3 Mar. 2024 Gillis was riding in a caravan of two cars and a motorcycle that pulled into Monahan's long, winding driveway in the town of Hebron last April while her friends were looking for another person's house. CBS News, 1 Mar. 2024 Those are basically a coin flip — and the outcomes are off in the distance, as those cases wind their way through the legal system. Nilay Patel, The Verge, 29 Feb. 2024 The main residence is situated down a winding driveway, and the exterior is clad in cement board siding, sourced from Portugal, with vertical panels. Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 29 Feb. 2024 West wind around 6 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 27 Feb. 2024 The front shield does a decent job of keeping snow and wind out of your child’s face, too. Heather Balogh Rochfort, Parents, 26 Feb. 2024 San Francisco’s Lunar New Year parade, the largest one outside of Asia, was highlighted by a 289-foot-long golden dragon that wound its way through the streets. Karl Mondon, The Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2024 The Republican Party of some counties in Kansas, part of their plank is now to be opposed to renewable energy, to wind and solar. Dana Taylor, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wind.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1) and Verb (3)

Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German wint wind, Latin ventus, Greek aēnai to blow, Sanskrit vāti it blows

Verb (2)

Middle English, from Old English windan to twist, move with speed or force, brandish; akin to Old High German wintan to wind, Umbrian ohavendu let him turn aside

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Verb (2)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Verb (3)

1586, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of wind was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near wind

Cite this Entry

“Wind.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wind. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

wind

1 of 6 noun
1
: a movement of air
2
: something that has force or influence
the changing winds of political opinion
3
: breath sense 2a
the fall knocked the wind out of me
4
: gas produced in the stomach or the intestines
5
: something unimportant
especially : idle words
6
a
: air carrying a scent (as of a hunter or game)
b
: slight information especially about something secret
got wind of our plans
7
plural : the wind instruments of a band or orchestra
8
: the direction from which the wind is blowing

wind

2 of 6 verb
1
: to get a scent of
the dogs winded game
2
: to cause to be out of breath
the long climb winded us
3
: to allow to rest so as to recover breath
wind a horse

wind

3 of 6 verb
winded ˈwīn-dəd How to pronounce wind (audio)
ˈwin-
or wound ˈwau̇nd How to pronounce wind (audio) ; winding
: to sound by blowing
wind a horn

wind

4 of 6 verb
wound ˈwau̇nd How to pronounce wind (audio) also winded; winding
1
: to move in a series of twists and turns
a river winding through the valley
2
3
a
: to encircle or cover with something flexible
b
: to coil completely or repeatedly about an object : twine
wind thread on a spool
4
: to lift, pull, move, or operate by means of a rope, cable, or chain and a winch
wind up a pail
5
: to tighten the spring of
wind a clock
wind up a toy train
winder noun

wind

5 of 6 noun
: something curved or twisted : bend

wind

6 of 6 adjective
ˈwind
: of or relating to wind instruments
the wind section of an orchestra
Etymology

Noun

Old English wind "the natural movement of air"

Verb

Old English windan "to twist, move with force"

Geographical Definition

Wind

geographical name

river in west central Wyoming

Note: The Wind River is the upper course of the Bighorn River.

More from Merriam-Webster on wind

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