wind down

verb

wound down also winded down; winding down; winds 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 of wind down

• relax
• chill out

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

La Mescita La Mescita To wind down your trip, grab a seat at this bar, which is usually filled with locals. —Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Mar. 2026

Then on Friday, it was announced that FanDuel, which is both a betting platform and a sports network specializing in horse racing, is winding down its specialized studio and on-site talent programming this year. —John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2026

Best Amazon Spring Tech Deals The clock is winding down to save on Apple and Amazon devices like an Amazon Kindle Paperwhite marked down to its cheapest price all year. —Isabel Garcia, PEOPLE, 31 Mar. 2026

As its final days wind down, weather in March 2026 has been one for the record books. —Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1944, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for wind down

• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown
• godown
• hometown