rewind

1 of 2

verb

re·​wind (ˌ)rē-ˈwīnd 

rewound (ˌ)rē-ˈwau̇nd  ; rewinding

transitive verb

: to wind again

especially : to reverse the winding of

rewind film

rewind

2 of 2

noun

re·​wind ˈrē-ˌwīnd  (ˌ)rē-ˈwīnd 

1

: something that rewinds or is rewound

2

: an act of rewinding

3

: a function of an electronic device that reverses a recording to a previous portion

Examples of rewind in a Sentence

Verb

Rewind the tape so that we can hear that song again.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The clock seemed to rewind 1,400 years as tenets established at the religion’s dawn—Sharia law—were formalized into the doctrine of Velayat-e Faqih, the Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist. — Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 29 June 2026

Belkin works from more than 2,500 hours of archival footage to rewind to the aborted 1970 mission that would have been the third Moon landing, but became a rescue mission to return to Earth safely. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 3 June 2026

Noun

But Comcast may have set some type of speed record with its 180-degree strategic rewind. — Howard Homonoff, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

Belkin works from more than 2,500 hours of archival footage to rewind to the aborted 1970 mission that would have been the third Moon landing, but became a rescue mission to return to Earth safely. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 3 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1717, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1926, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

rewind

1 of 2 verb

re·​wind rē-ˈwīnd 

rewound -ˈwau̇nd  ; rewinding

: to wind again

especially : to reverse the winding of (as a video tape)

rewind

2 of 2 noun

re·​wind ˈrē-ˌwīnd 

: a function of an electronic device that reverses a recording to a previous portion