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

Host Taylor Tannebaum’s night was supposed to be winding down. — Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026

While the movie studios were winding down a record summer at the box office, the question many of us were asking heading into the fall festival season was whether film festivals are losing some of their impact. — Rebecca Keegan, NBC news, 8 Sep. 2026

Labor Day usually marks the end of summer, and swimming and boating season will also be winding down. — Asal Rezaei, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2026

Major League Baseball is just a few weeks away from the postseason as the regular season winds down, but the sport has a different feel this year than in previous years. — Ryan Canfield Outkick, FOXNews.com, 8 Sep. 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