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

• chill
• chill out [slang]
• de-stress
• decompress
• loosen up
• mellow (out)
• relax
• unwind

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

Or wind down with a refreshing, private rain-barrel shower in the woods. —Kate Donnelly, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025

Spring sports are winding down for area high school teams, with only baseball, softball and gymnastics remaining to decide CIF San Diego Section division championships, starting this week. —Ben Ali H Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 May 2025

That should once again be a classic offensive showdown, a perfect way for NFL fans to wind down after eating lots of food. —Seth Quinn, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 May 2025

Art of the — no big — deal A trade war that started with fireworks is quietly winding down. —Quartz Staff, Quartz, 13 May 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