wind down

verb

wound down also winded down; winding down; winds down

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

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about wind down

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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

Here, the pass winds down a wooded hillside to the charming hamlet of Miage, situated on a glacial plain. — National Geographic, "Tour du Mont Blanc," 17 June 2019 The long-running series, which returns for its fifteenth season this week, may be winding down. — Kayleigh Roberts, Marie Claire, "Ellen Pompeo Is Hinting That 'Grey's Anatomy' Will End After Season 16," 22 Sep. 2018 Garlic season is winding down, which means those beautiful bulbs of fresh purple stripe, porcelain, and elephant garlic out in your garden or at the farmer's market will start dwindling soon. — Jean Nick, Good Housekeeping, "7 Ways You Can Make Your Garlic Last Longer," 27 July 2018 If the rules of capitalism apply to banks, Deutsche should be wound down. — The Economist, "Should one of the world’s largest banks be wound down?," 19 Apr. 2018 The civil rights era was winding down, but a black pride sensibility was on the rise, and the women’s movement was in the streets and gaining strength. — David Zurawik, baltimoresun.com, "Hate Roseanne if you want, but you have to appreciate her show," 13 Apr. 2018 The Dry Bridge Market in Tbilisi, Georgia, winds down the left bank of the Mtkvari River, which cuts the city in half like the Seine in Paris. — Daisy Alioto, The Cut, "The Underrated Beauty of the ‘Micro-Romance’," 9 Apr. 2018 Deal of the week Camera manufacturer Lytro is winding down operations, and some of its staff is joining Google. — Wendy Lee, San Francisco Chronicle, "Startups in the spotlight: Voicery, Lytro and KeepTruckin," 2 Apr. 2018 Johnson was born in 1939, as the Great Depression was beginning to wind down and World War II had begun heating up. — Doug Maccash, nola.com, "You’re invited to Al ‘Carnival Time’ Johnson’s 80th birthday party, Thursday," 17 June 2019

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

6 Jul 2019

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Time Traveler for wind down

The first known use of wind down was in 1952

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