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

Steinhauser, the Republican strategist, thinks Trump has not only changed how the GOP talks about men, but has inspired an effort to rewind modern views of gender roles. —Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR, 30 May 2026

But Jamie’s version of their relationship is told in chronological order, while Cathy rewinds from the fallout, telling the story backwards. —Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 20 Apr. 2026

Noun

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

For one, there is no overnight re-broadcast, and for another, there is no rewind option. —Chris Willman, Variety, 24 Apr. 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