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

Also in this week’s Screen Gab, our recommendations include a collection of films that pay homage to analog treasures known as VHS tapes, and a pair of British literary adaptations that’ll rewind you back to the 19th century. —Joshua Rothkopf, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026

In the first part of the film, Grossman rewinds the tapes of the 1996 trip, organized by a Brazilian civil servant and Swedish journalist Erling Söderström to meet the Korubo tribe, who chose to live far away from civilization. —Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 13 Mar. 2026

Noun

Movie night meant a trip to the video store, and every household knew the agony of forgetting to rewind before returning a rental. —Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 20 Mar. 2026

Players design their store, work the counter, restock shelves and even rewind movies — these were the VHS days after all. —Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 19 Mar. 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