wind down

verb

Definition of wind down

intransitive verb

1 : to draw gradually toward an end the party was winding down

2 : relax, unwind wind down with a good book

transitive verb

: to cause a gradual lessening of usually with the intention of bringing to an end

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Examples of wind down in a Sentence

not being one for alcoholic beverages, I prefer to wind down with a cup of tea every night

Recent Examples on the Web

Displaying a variety of Turkish cotton towels ,or laying out a plush shag rug, is a great way to warm up the environment and create a more comfortable setting for getting ready in the morning or winding down at night. — Madeleine Bokan, House Beautiful, "Here's Why Texture Is an Interior Designer's Secret Weapon," 6 Mar. 2019 Getty Images Meghan Markle is readying herself for her maternity leave with the new baby by celebrating with her friends, getting her new home ready, and winding down her royal engagements. — Katherine J. Igoe, Marie Claire, "What Will Meghan Markle Do on Maternity Leave? Here's What We Know," 22 Feb. 2019 The big story of 2013 was the central bank’s monthslong debate over winding down its controversial bond-buying program, the third such initiative aimed at providing extra stimulus to the sluggish economy. — David Harrison, WSJ, "Timeline of Significant Fed Events in 2013," 11 Jan. 2019 After her husband died in 1997, Ms. Lichtenstein, who is now 78, continued to champion the arts by founding the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation, which recently started the process of winding down. — New York Times, "How Dorothy Lichtenstein, Philanthropist, Spends Her Sundays," 6 July 2018 And after the show, there is no better place to wind down. — Max Maeckler, Vogue, "Going to the Oscars? The Best L.A. Hotels for Every Hollywood Type," 22 Feb. 2019 As the holiday season winds down, Christmas clean-up inevitably begins. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "When Should You Take Your Christmas Tree Down? The Answer Will Definitely Surprise You," 24 Dec. 2018 The Knights host Redmond on Friday as the season winds down. — Jayda Evans, The Seattle Times, "A battle for respect, then in the trenches: For Newport’s Jenna Martz, football is feminism," 26 Oct. 2018 This year, Boughner is hoping for the Panthers to replicate that type of success throughout the entire season, not just in a desperation push as the regular season winds down. — Jordan Mcpherson, miamiherald, "Here's what you need to know about the Florida Panthers' 2018-19 schedule," 21 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'wind down.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

13 Apr 2019

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The first known use of wind down was in 1952

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