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

• relax
• chill out [slang]

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

Though the Eternal Sunshine Tour will be far smaller than Grande’s last trek, which spanned 10 months with nearly 100 dates, the Wicked star has expressed that winding down the scale of her touring output has been necessary to redefining her relationship to performing in a healthy way. —Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 16 Sep. 2025

When warm season vegetables such as peppers and tomatoes are starting to wind down for the season, a new group of garden veggies is ready for planting. —Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 16 Sep. 2025

At 40 years old, James is starting to wind down his NBA career. —Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025

Our first responsibility is to honor our commitments and wind down in a way that minimizes harm from the rescission. —Michael Schneider, Variety, 12 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1952, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Rhymes for wind down

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