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

Beneath the indexes, Cramer said some stocks traded Wednesday as if the war will wind down faster than expected, pointing to more speculative names. —Paulina Likos, CNBC, 4 Mar. 2026

After the 2022 closure of its central waste-to-energy facility in Hartford’s South Meadows, MIRA began to wind down operations and sell off its remaining assets including several regional transfer stations. —John Moritz, Hartford Courant, 4 Mar. 2026

Walton has also wound down his involvement in Walmart, retiring from a 23-year stint as chairman in 2015 and leaving the company’s board in 2024. —Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 3 Mar. 2026

That could mean a wind down at the historic Paramount lot on Melrose Avenue — and more job losses. —Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 3 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