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 trailer then rewinds to 2007, when Knox and her then-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito (Giuseppe De Domenico), were accused of murdering Kercher in Perugia, Italy. —Emily Blackwood, People.com, 20 Aug. 2025

Let’s rewind a bit to last Thursday, when OpenAI finally released GPT-5 to the world — about a year behind schedule, according to the Wall Street Journal. —Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2025

Noun

Let’s rewind: The series finale took place on Thanksgiving and ended with everyone having a little something to be thankful for. —Sandra Gonzalez, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2025

Earnings rewind: This is shaping up to be one tricky earnings season. —Jeff Marks, CNBC, 25 July 2025

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