rewind

1 of 2

verb

re·​wind (ˌ)rē-ˈwīnd How to pronounce rewind (audio)
rewound (ˌ)rē-ˈwau̇nd How to pronounce rewind (audio) ; rewinding

transitive verb

: to wind again
especially : to reverse the winding of
rewind film

rewind

2 of 2

noun

re·​wind ˈrē-ˌwīnd How to pronounce rewind (audio)
(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
But right before the finale, the story rewound to 1923, revealing how the menacing Korean gangster Koh Hansu (Lee Min-ho) first came to work for a Yakuza boss, and depicting the two of them as survivors of that year’s Great Kanto Earthquake. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 20 Sep. 2024 The team then used the same tectonic models to rewind time to find where on the planet those prime locations were back in the Ordovician. Michael Irving, New Atlas, 16 Sep. 2024
Noun
So just to kind of rewind and give some general context here. Tax Notes Staff, Forbes, 4 Sep. 2024 So with no rewind button available, what Schafer mainly seems to be craving is a chance to figure out the best public, professional, and private version of herself. Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 9 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for rewind 

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

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1717, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1926, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of rewind was in 1717

Dictionary Entries Near rewind

Cite this Entry

“Rewind.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rewind. Accessed 7 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

rewind

1 of 2 verb
re·​wind rē-ˈwīnd How to pronounce rewind (audio)
rewound -ˈwau̇nd How to pronounce rewind (audio) ; rewinding
: to wind again
especially : to reverse the winding of (as a video tape)

rewind

2 of 2 noun
re·​wind ˈrē-ˌwīnd How to pronounce rewind (audio)
: a function of an electronic device that reverses a recording to a previous portion

More from Merriam-Webster on rewind

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!