wend

1 of 2

verb

wended; wending; wends
Synonyms of wendnext

intransitive verb

: to direct one's course : travel

transitive verb

: to proceed on (one's way) : direct

Wend

2 of 2

noun

: a member of a Slavic people of eastern Germany

Examples of wend in a Sentence

Verb We wended through the narrow streets. We wended our way through the narrow streets.
Recent Examples on the Web
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Verb
Çatak’s anti-state message acquires an ambiguous power as the movie wends onward, with an enigmatic final shot that finds Aziz tasting clear-skies freedom but still from behind confines of a sort. Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 13 Feb. 2026 Legal challenges to constitutional doctrines underpinning the modern American administrative state wend their way through increasingly sympathetic courts, promising sweeping changes to the ways our most important institutions act. Walter Russell Mead, The Atlantic, 24 Jan. 2026 This confusion lay in the speech’s weaving, wending contradictions, and its shifts between tones, something Foster purposefully aimed for in telling the story of her life from child stardom to adult disaffection. Daniel D'addario, Variety, 7 Jan. 2026 Some of those have been coming here for 40 years, and all of them know to wend their way up the spiral staircase for a tarot card reading between courses. Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for wend

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Old English wendan; akin to Old High German wenten to turn, Old English windan to twist — more at wind entry 3

Noun

German Wende, from Old High German Winida; akin to Old English Winedas, plural, Wends

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun

1786, in the meaning defined above

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

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Cite this Entry

“Wend.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wend. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.

Kids Definition

wend

verb
: to go one's way : proceed
wending their way home

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