windup

noun wind·up \ ˈwīnd-ˌəp \

|Updated on: 13 Jun 2018

Definition of windup

1 a : the act of bringing to an end

b : a concluding act or part : finish

2 a : a series of regular and distinctive motions (such as swinging the arms) made by a pitcher preparatory to releasing a pitch

b : an exaggerated backswing (as in tennis)

See windup defined for English-language learners

See windup defined for kids

Examples of windup in a Sentence

the windup of the negotiations
He went into the windup, then threw the pitch.
a pitcher with an unusual windup
Her brother's act was just a wind-up to get her angry.

Recent Examples of windup from the Web

Pitching from the stretch position would limit the amount of movement Chatwood generates from a full windup, which makes him susceptible to mechanical flaws.

— mark gonzales, chicagotribune.com, "Cubs considering having Tyler Chatwood pitch exclusively from stretch position," 28 May 2018
This is a long windup to let classic country fans know that one of the most influential warblers in the history of country music now has a music festival in his honor.

— andrew dansby, Houston Chronicle, "Corsicana creates a Lefty Frizzell festival," 23 May 2018
Whether in the windup or the stretch, there aren’t very many moving parts.

— michael beller, SI.com, "The Braves Should Consider Keeping Mike Soroka in the Rotation," 3 May 2018
By contrast, most of the family-courting stage versions of animated films that have ruled the theater district for so long look as stiff and artificial as parades of windup toys.

— abby jones, Billboard, "'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' Broadway Reviews: What the Critics Are Saying," 23 Apr. 2018
Koufax, feet together, now to his windup and the one-two pitch: fastball outside, ball two.

— houston mitchell, latimes.com, "Dodgers Dugout: The 25 greatest Dodgers of all time, No. 3: Vin Scully," 27 Mar. 2018
Darnold, who played baseball in high school and also golfs, compared the tightening of his throwing motion to becoming more efficient in the swinging windups from those other sports.

— lorenzo reyes, USA TODAY, "Sam Darnold used smart football's data to learn key lesson on throwing motion," 23 Apr. 2018
By contrast, most of the family-courting stage versions of animated films that have ruled the theater district for so long look as stiff and artificial as parades of windup toys.

— abby jones, Billboard, "'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' Broadway Reviews: What the Critics Are Saying," 23 Apr. 2018
Daniel Mengden, a Houston native, with an old timey windup and matching twirled mustache, had beguiled the Astros for 6 2/3 innings.

— hunter atkins, Houston Chronicle, "Astros cap sweep of Athletics with help from bottom of lineup," 9 May 2018

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

First Known Use of windup

1665

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

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windup Synonyms

windup

adjective

Definition of windup

: operated by a spring mechanism wound by hand

See windup defined for English-language learners

Examples of windup in a Sentence

She has an old windup record player in her attic.

First Known Use of windup

1784

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

wind up

verb

Definition of wind up

transitive verb

1 : to bring to a conclusion : end

2 a : to put in order for the purpose of bringing to an end

winds up the meeting

b British : to effectuate the winding up of

intransitive verb

1 a : to come to a conclusion

b : to arrive in a place, situation, or condition at the end or as a result of a course of action

wound up as millionaires

2 : to make a pitching windup

See wind up defined for kids

Examples of wind up in a Sentence

try to wind up the performance, as we're almost out of time
her speeches usually wind up with one last joke

Recent Examples of wind up from the Web

Most likely, that Lakers' pick will wind up as seeded at No.

— ira winderman, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Winderman: Heat hardly disinterested bystanders to NBA lottery | Commentary," 12 May 2018
It's long been known that most stars wind up producing a planetary nebula, but astronomers thought the sun — a ball of superheated gas with a diameter 109 times that of Earth — was too small to form a visible nebula.

— david freeman /, NBC News, "Now we know what will happen when the sun dies," 10 May 2018
But the danger is that the mainstream GOP vote winds up divided between those two, allowing Blankenship to win with as little as 35 percent.

— christa case bryant, The Christian Science Monitor, "In West Virginia, GOP tries to tame forces of 'Trumpism'," 7 May 2018
Even then, Daymude didn't really think the memorabilia would wind up at his store.

— laurel andrews, Anchorage Daily News, "No, you can’t try it on: Anchorage’s last Blockbuster now owns Russell Crowe’s jockstrap," 3 May 2018
Eileen Klein, then the president of ABOR and now the state treasurer, said during the meeting that efforts to expand speech can often wind up curtailing it.

— rachel leingang, azcentral, "'Campus free-speech crisis' is focus of new law – despite lack of Arizona incidents," 27 Apr. 2018
Panicos Kaouris, president of the Cyprus China Business Association, shrugs off concerns that the onetime British territory may wind up becoming a client state of China.

— alan crawford, Bloomberg.com, "Everything Is for Sale in Cyprus, and China’s Buying," 24 Apr. 2018
The event kicks off with a dinner Thursday, features a grand tasting Friday, offers several seminars and tasting on Saturday, and winds up with a Bubbles brunch on Sunday.

— marc bona, cleveland.com, "Grapes under Glass tickets remain for 4-day wine event," 17 Apr. 2018
Another argument Pruitt’s EPA has made in support of revising the standards is that poorer consumers will wind up footing the bill for high-emissions and fuel economy targets.

— sean o'kane, The Verge, "The EPA’s push for dirtier cars is based on old data," 13 Apr. 2018

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

First Known Use of wind up

1583

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

wind up Synonyms

Synonyms

break off, break up, cease, close, conclude, dead-end, determine, die, discontinue, elapse, end, expire, finish, go, halt, lapse, leave off, let up, pass, quit, stop, terminate, wink (out);

Antonyms

continue, hang on, persist;

Near Antonyms

draw out, extend, prolong, protract;

knock off, pack (up or in);

break down, conk (out), cut out, stall;

pause, stay, suspend;

abate, peter (out), wind down;

Phrases

bite the dust;

WINDUP Defined for English Language Learners

windup

noun

Definition of windup for English Language Learners

: the things that are done at the end of something (such as an event or process) : the final part of something
baseball : the movements that a pitcher makes before the ball is thrown
wind-up : something done or said in usually a joking way to make someone annoyed or upset

windup

adjective

Definition of windup for English Language Learners

: having a motor that is given power when someone turns a handle

WINDUP Defined for Kids

windup

noun wind·up \ ˈwīnd-ˌəp \

Definition of windup for Students

1 : the last part of something : finish

2 : a swing of a baseball pitcher's arm before the pitch is thrown

Law Dictionary

wind up

transitive verb

legal Definition of wind up

wound up; winding up

: to bring to an end by taking care of unfinished business

ordered to wind up his practice

; specifically : to conclude by removing liabilities and distributing any remaining assets to partners or shareholders

wind up the business and affairs of a corporation in dissolution

wind up a receivership

Learn More about windup

See words that rhyme with windup Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for windup Spanish Central: Translation of windup Nglish: Translation of windup for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about windup

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windup

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windup

Definition of windup

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wind up

Definition of wind up

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WINDUP Defined for English Language Learners

windup

Definition of windup for English Language Learners

windup

Definition of windup for English Language Learners

WINDUP Defined for Kids

windup

Definition of windup for Students

Law Dictionary

wind up

legal Definition of wind up

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