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

A day after Argentina’s pulsating 3-1 win over Switzerland in a World Cup quarterfinal match in Kansas City, a couple of the victorious team’s fans needed to wind down. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 15 July 2026

World Cup excitement coincides with the holiday As the parade wound down, France’s attention turned to Tuesday’s standoff against Spain in the soccer World Cup semifinal in Texas. — Eva Van Dam, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026

Meanwhile, September is proving increasingly attractive for many travelers, followed by October, when the island winds down and prepares to close shop for the season. — Helen Iatrou, Travel + Leisure, 11 July 2026

As the World Cup winds down to the semifinals and finals, Telemundo is stepping up its live production effort to elevate the presentation of the decisive last matches. — Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 11 July 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